See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more. For the first things have passed away.
Revelation 21:3-4
We live in dark times. Others have before us. Others will after us. But often the darkness seems to be winning. The longest night of our solar year fell December 21. The darkness swallows the light.
A friend who pastors a congregation in Chicago holds a service of remembrance and healing on the winter solstice. They speak the names of all those in Chicago who have lost their lives to homicide in the preceding year. The list is long. The pain is intense. Darkness fills the space as name after name lingers in the sanctuary.
The gift of God’s sovereignty guides us through the darkness. In the words of the gospel of John, “the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.” The sovereignty of God means God is active and involved in every aspect of our lives; nothing escapes God’s notice and power. The sovereignty of God means God’s purposes will be accomplished and nothing we do will stop God from accomplishing God’s purposes.
“Why not now?” we cry out, especially when the darkness is so great. “How long must we wait?” I don’t know. God’s timing is not ours. But God’s love is. God’s power is. God’s promise is.
We wait in the darkness for the final coming of God’s kingdom...when God will dwell with us, here on earth. We wait. The practice of Advent waiting in the darkness of winter reminds us of that.
On this night, the eve of the coming of the Light, we are reminded of, and grateful for, the gift of God’s sovereignty.
God has come. God comes. God will come again.
God, we celebrate on this Christmas Eve the Light that came before, the Light that is here among us, and the Light that will come. Amen.
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