The Longing for Light

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined.
Isaiah 9:2

It had been a wonderful experience, squeezing through narrow passages and dodging the ice-like formations of the Oregon Caves. But a greater surprise was in store for the visitors when the guide said, "I want you to feel the darkness of midnight, as you’ve never known it before. Then, you’ll know the difference a little light can make."

With that we were plunged into darkness. He was right. The darkness was like an impenetrable blanket. Even midnight, with no stars, has some reflected light.

Then the guide struck a match and lit a single candle. From that little light source the whole room was illuminated, and the group of cave visitors could only say, :Ahh."

We can’t experience the absence of light until we no longer have it, nor can we comprehend the darkness of the human spirit which pervaded civilization for so many centuries.

What changed all of this was the Advent message by Isaiah. Someday, he had predicted, the light will overcome darkness. It happened! Jesus, the bearer of light, came as the "Light of the World." In the Advent Season we make ready to rejoice in His coming.

The Christmas story tells how God came to ordinary people who had longed for light for centuries. That small remnant of believers had struggled to keep hope alive amidst so much spiritual darkness. Jesus came to dispel the darkness.

Advent and the Christmas stories point to this, but finally it took a willingness to sacrifice His life that we might know the Light of Life. Advent continues to say to people who long for light, "Rejoice, rejoice, the Lord is come."