Light of the World (Advent Day 4)

“Jesus said to the people, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to earth.”” John 8:12
We live in a dark dark world. We are aware of the darkness all around us. We have 24 hour news channels that provide a constant reminder of the dark world we live in. Newspaper headlines scream it at us every morning. Conversations with friends reveal more darkness day by day. Wars and rumours of wars. Terrorists detonating suicide bombs and beheading hostages. More and more homeless people sleeping rough on the streets. Yet another family torn apart by the devastation of an affair. We live in a dark dark world.
And yet the message of Christmas is we can hope in the darkness. For Jesus is the light of the world. He shines bright into the dark, lighting it up. He enables us to see the way set before us and not stumble in the darkness.
He is hope for all in the dark, for He is the light that will guide us to safety. The light that will lead us to rest in His loving embrace. We can have hope for we know His light will never be extinguished. It will never grow dim. It will never be hidden from us. We can trust in Him to be a constant guide for us, shining bright and leading us safe to God.
And as we look to Christmas during this season of advent and waiting, as we keep our eyes fixed on His light, we need to be mindful that there is a world all around us stumbling through the darkness. A world that needs to have their eyes opened to see the light that brings hope into the midst of despair. The light that shines bright into situations of grief and heartache. The light the guides the way to comfort and rest and healing and restoration. The light that says “I love you” when everyone else has given up and abandoned.  In the midst of the dark storms of life we can have hope for the light of the world left the throne of heaven to come and shine bright down among us, and He still shines bright today. The sound of heaven touching earth is the sound of hope for the broken, the hurting, the wounded, the forgotten, the unloved – hope for all who see the Light of the World and put their trust in Him.