In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
– John 1:4-5 NIV

When John begins his Gospel about Jesus, he starts by going all the way back to the beginning of time to weave together a foundational story about Jesus’ presence in and through creation and all of history. In this story, he mixes metaphors to describe Jesus’ character and purpose. In one sentence, Jesus is the Word. In the next, Jesus is the light.

In John’s context as well as our own, darkness is a metaphor used to describe a lack of knowledge or truth; things that are scary, evil, or immoral; sin, and death. It’s all of the things that we know from logic and experience that are not good or right or as things should be. And in John’s context as well as our own, there are many things that are not as they should be. In fact, sometimes it feels as if darkness is everywhere.

This particular season, late fall and winter, can literally feel like darkness is everywhere. On December 21, we will have daylight for 9 hours, 3 minutes and 13 seconds. That is the shortest amount of daylight we will experience this year. That means we’ll have darkness for 14 hours, 56 minutes, and 47 seconds that day. It will literally feel as if the darkness has overcome the light.

And for some of us in this season of life, the metaphorical darkness feels like it has overcome the light too. The holiday season can be difficult for those of us who have lost loved ones. News of trouble, violence, and suffering feels like it’s all-consuming. Financial stressors are prominent this time of year. Anxiety about the coming year and the long term future resound in the hearts and minds of many. And these are just a few ways in which darkness manifests itself.

It’s no coincidence that we remember that light – Jesus – has come into the world at this particular time of the year. It’s not happenstance that we decorate trees, our homes, and churches with lights during this season. We remember that Jesus is light this time of year because this is often when it feels like the darkest. The truth is that the light who brings life has come. And He is coming again. Darkness has not overcome. And it will not overcome.

May Jesus, the light of the world, shine brightly in the midst of the darkness that you are experiencing in this season.