Shine a light

WHEN we look at cribs and see the shepherds and wise men and the babe laying in a manger, it can be easy to become drawn in and caught up in a purely sentimental understanding of Christmastime.

Yet even in this idyllic scene of a crib, there is a hint of the future reality of Christ’s life in so far as the wood of the manger points to the wood of the cross and the gift of one of the wise men, which was myrrh, used in ancient burial rites.

What we celebrate at Christmas is the incredible lengths God would go to, to bring his people back to a right relationship with him.

As we approach the end of Advent we see in the world around us that the darkness comes ever earlier in the evening. Even in the events that are happening around the world we see the destruction of warfare, and the plight of refugees and the homeless. The only way out of the darkness is to shine a light, the same light that John the Baptist came to witness to. John lived his life with integrity and, as he witnessed to God, people in authority questioned him. Ultimately John would have to pay with his life in the malice of a person who was angered by his truthful words.

Our witness centres around the hope that the light Jesus brings will conquer all that is not of God. The spirit of liberty that Jesus announces for the poor, the broken hearted, those held in captivity. But what does held in captivity mean? It is quite easy to reflect that those in prison or held against their will are captive, but there are many other kinds. Many people live with fear, anxiety and frustration; all these are a source of captivity. We may be held in the captivity of un-forgiveness, not forgiving those who have hurt us or not forgiving ourselves. People are held captive by drugs, depression, hatred, anger – the list goes on.

At Christmastime we are invited to allow the light of Christ to shine upon these icebergs of captivity, for once we are stuck behind an iceberg we can not move forward.