In his message on Christmas Eve, my pastor shared that the light always wins.
However, I’ve honestly had a really hard time lately
believing that the light always wins. Over the past few weeks, darkness and evil
have been more than evident in the tragedy of Newtown, in our world ravaged by
poverty and disaster, and in our own community filled with homelessness and
hunger. I have struggled to see that it is
possible for the light to overcome this immense darkness. I’ve doubted that anything or anyone could
possibly repair the brokenness in our world.
But Christmas Day offered me a chance to see that the
darkness in our world will be overcome someday and even today it is being
overcome.
This year Our Savior had the opportunity to open our doors
to the homeless during the day on Christmas.
The Ministry Activity Center was open for the homeless to come enjoy a
hot meal and snacks, watch movies, play board games, and just relax in a warm
place.
The guests came in from the cold carrying all their
belongings and I was reminded just how broken our world is. The guests weren’t the only ones who have recently
experienced the brokenness of our world.
Many of the volunteers who helped on Christmas Day were also acutely
aware of the darkness in the world. There
were people who were hurting, there were people who weren’t sure if they could
make it through the day, there were people who were lonely and missing loved
ones, there were people who have had a really bad year, and there were people
who simply felt overwhelmed by life.
But in the Ministry Activity Center on Christmas Day…
There was beautiful Christmas music.
There was laughter and joy.
We enjoyed delicious food cooked by really good cooks and
bakers.
There was an incredible sense of community between all the
volunteers and guests, many who had never met each other before Christmas Day
yet quickly found friendship.
I saw a remarkable outpouring of generosity. People gave their time, resources, energy,
and love without worrying about what they might lose.
There was abundant gratitude and thankfulness.
I witnessed compassion and mercy.
And for a time, somehow the pain and the suffering and the
evil in the world didn’t seem to have as strong of a hold. I saw the darkness being wiped away.
And I saw the light in the darkness.
The light always wins.
