Arise and Shine

We recently had a celestial phenomenon take place that had not happened in this fashion in some 600 years. It was deemed the “Christmas Star.” Granted, it was not actually a “star.” Instead, it was the convergence of two planets, Jupiter and Saturn. Unlike stars, these planets needed a source of light to illuminate them in the night sky—the sun. But like stars, they needed darkness to be visible.

Francis Bacon once said, “In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present.”

Without being pessimistic, I believe we can all agree that we have seen more “darkness” this year than previously. Darkness comes in many forms: conflict, discord, pain, grief, loneliness, loss, regret, and numerous more. We also know that darkness can be representative of evil and sin, which, I believe, we have seen an increase in the tolerance and acceptance of evil practices, philosophies, and beliefs.

But the light shines brightest in the darkest of nights.

The relationship of light to darkness permeates the entire Bible. In fact, the first 5 verses of the entire Bible establish this foundation. In the New Testament, Jesus declares Himself in John 8, “The Light of the world,” and He also declares believers in Matthew 5, “the Light of the world.”

The most important characteristic about light is that it shines. And when alight shines, it dispels the darkness.