DAY THREE: IN THE DARK STREETS SHINETH

The song, “Light of the World,” by Lauren Daigle starts out with these lyrics,

The world waits for a miracle
The heart longs for a little bit of hope
Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel
A child prays for peace on Earth
And she’s calling out from a sea of hurt
Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel

Hurting world, we have hope.

Can you see it?  Do you know it’s for you?

Eric Metaxas describes in his book, If You Can Keep It, a lighting ceremony he attended growing up in the Greek Orthodox Church. He says,

“…every year, a few minutes before midnight, all of the lights in the church are put out and we stand there in the beautiful darkness, waiting and waiting. As we stand there in the holy silence and darkness, we are waiting for the light of the world. Then, finally, at the precise stroke of midnight, the priest shouts, “Defte lavete Fos!” Come receive the light! It is the great breaking of light into darkness, the advent of the resurrected Christ, the light of the eternal life of God now and forever quenching the darkness of eternal death. The priest in that moment lights his candle at the altar and with it then lights the candles of the altar boys, who go out into the congregation and light the candles of those in the first rows, who then turn around and light the candles of those behind them, who then turn around and light the candles of those behind them, on and on as the church gradually glows brighter and everyone in the sanctuary lights his candle and then those around him. It is deeply beautiful and moving, something I look forward to and treasure every year. It is ancient and beautiful, a living symbol of light being shared…”

Defte lavete Fos!  Come receive the light!  

What a beautiful picture of light invading and conquering darkness.

THAT is what Christmas is.

The Light of the World is come!

It fills us with hope because no matter how dark the circumstances, there is nothing that can even contend with this light.

It is living,

It is consuming,

It grows and spreads.

It is unable to be tamed or contained.

It burns within YOU.  It’s YOURS.  HE IS YOURS.

THAT is why we stop. THAT is why we come.  THAT is why we sing songs of praise and adoration. 

Because without Him…It’s just dark.

If you’ve ever seen the Woodlawns movie, you know this true story took place in one of the darkest times of our country’s recent past. It shows how fiercely darkness wanted to win and to remain in control.

But once the Light was introduced, the grip darkness had loosened. And just like in our candlelight services, as one light lit another and another, the darkness lost all power and was pushed out by the light. This is what burns within you. 

Here is a clip from the movie:

Your life matters.

There is whole lot of darkness out there, but your light might begin something you could never have imagined.

The candlelight service at Eric Metaxas’ church we described at the start did not end when everyone’s candles had been lit.

The congregation then takes their lighted candles out of the church and guards their flames from the wind while they get into cars and taxis, still doing everything they can to keep their flames lit. They continue to protect the light until they get to their own homes, where they say a prayer and put the candle out on their door frames above their heads. Year after year, the black marks from the candles remind them of their prayers and the lights they protect.

When you see a light this Christmas season – a candle, a streetlamp, a Christmas tree; let it remind you of the Light of the World, the Everlasting Light, the Light that you carry within you.

“The world NEEDS the gift that’s trapped inside of you.”

–  Hank, Woodlawns movie

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