A Meditation on the Light - Xmas Eve 2008

“A Meditation on the Light”
Rev. Désirée H. Gold
St. Mark’s United Church of Christ, Baltimore, MD
Christmas Eve 2008
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 This has been a dark year. There seems to be some kind of a gloom hanging over our world. I overheard a man say the other day that there is some sort of a national depression, and he wasn’t talking just about the economy. We are in our sixth year of war with Iraq, we face violence in our own city, we see corruption in politics -- and yes, there’s the economy. More people are hungry or homeless than have been in a long time. Our prayer list at church never lacks for names -- we all know someone who is sick or hurting, or we are sick or hurting ourselves. We are worried about umpteen things. A spark of hope arose for many after election day, but by December we were in the doldrums again. I have witnessed more aching hearts in the past year than I had seen in a long time.

Amidst this malaise, we have been busy. We have been caring for loved ones, or working hard not to lose our jobs, or looking for new jobs. We may have to try even harder than usual to provide for our needs and the needs of our families, but we are trying. And we’re tired. We’re tired and aching and it’s dark.

...But wait! Here in this darkness, where hope seems elusive, a tiny light begins to glow. Just a pinprick of light. ...Do you see it? It is the light of the star over Bethlehem. As we sit here in the peacefulness of this church the light begins to glow a little brighter, until we can make out the shape of a tiny infant lying in a manger. He’s an ordinary newborn, red-faced and wrinkly. But there is nothing ordinary about a newborn. And this tiny baby, who we can just make out by the light of the star, will be the hope of the world. He will be the Savior we so desperately need.

This is not to say that our broken hearts will mend tomorrow or that our broken world will be made whole with the snap of his tiny fingers. But as Christians we believe that Jesus is the Light of the world. May his birth tonight -- the birth of Emmanuel, God-With-Us -- bring light back into our world. May this Christmas be the beginning of a hopeful year, a light-filled year, a year of strength and joy, where pain becomes secondary in our lives. May our hearts begin to open tonight, to let in the light of that extraordinary baby in a manger. May his new life bring new life to our world.

Now, as we bathe in the light of Christ, let us pray.