Longing for Christmas. Looking for Light.

I don't know how things are with you, but it's been a heavy and hard year for many that I know and love, and to be honest, it hasn't been the easiest year for me either. In a lot of ways, this season has felt dark and bleak.

 

But even in the heavy and hard seasons, the sun keeps rising, and life goes on. I find myself here, at the beginning of December, rolling into Advent and filling our home and calendar with all the trimmings and trappings of the holiday season. Longing for Christmas. Looking for light.

 

The good news is that Jesus came to bring light and life to this dark and dying world. And that, dear friends, is where our hope and joy are found. The wonder of Christmas is that God Almighty came down. When we cried out for help, he came running, and he brought the blazing glory of his light with him.

 

Jesus is the joy of our salvation. He's our rescuer sent from heaven. He's our help in times of deepest need. He's the promise of aid on the horizon. When darkness presses in and circumstances obscure joy, remember this: Christ has come. Christ has risen. And Christ will come again.

 

In the meantime, we wait. As long as we live in this broken world, we will know unbearable pain and deep grief, but we also know that it won't go on forever. Though the sorrow may last for a night, joy comes in the morning. Morning is coming, sweet friends. And that's good news of great joy, indeed.