"The Life-Light" [Christmas Meditation]

Photo by Stephen Schneider

“The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
the darkness couldn't put it out.”

  — The Gospel of John (The Message)

The drama of Christmas light has always been written against the backdrop of a deep darkness.

From that first Christmas which took place under the shadow of the oppressive power of the Roman state until the present time, people of faith have kept hope alive by being witnesses to the Light.

Many years ago, as a young divinity student, I came across a poem by Manfred A. Carter. It appeared, as I recall, sometime in the late 1960s in the pages of The Christian Century. At the time I carefully cut the poem out of the magazine.  Sadly, I lost that original copy and the poem has seemingly disappeared from public view; however, like those angelic messengers we meet in the Christmas story, the poem seems to make a strange yet welcome appearance in my memory at just those times when the darkness most threatens to overwhelm us. So as I can best recall, here are the words:

There is an edge of light along the west
that outlines houses on the final line of earth
to tell us that the searching test of this wild storm
is not the whole design.

There are patterns on the dark clouds roof
and weaving shades of slowly gathered grey
to give a motion to the faithful proof
that above the clouds there still is day.

We cannot change the murky mist of sky.
We cannot stay the hand of hating man.
This may advance the day when we shall die,
but we are called on to explain the plan
which is revealed again the edge of night:
there is a larger world of light.

In the days ahead we carry out the work of Christmas as we give a public witness to that which has been revealed against the edge of night:  that there is indeed a larger world—a world that no darkness can put out—a world of light.

May the Life-Light of Christmas shine brightly on your path during this holy season.