Illustration from Masahiro Kasuya’s children’s book “The Way Christmas Came”

“ In him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:4-5

Many places in our world are cast in darkness this Christmas. People  live in fear as immigration raids sweep our country. Ever changing rules and laws, put more in peril.  There is illness and economic stress, broken relationship separate some from treasured loved one. Danger lurks in war torn countries.

Rick Barger and his family lived in Iran during the revolution that eventually led to the overthrow of the Shaw. On Christmas Eve 1978, they were gathered around the Christmas tree in their home in Tehran, singing carols. Plans to worship at a local  German church, were changed  by  a mandatory curfew.

As nighttime fell, he writes, “We heard the sounds we had become accustomed to hearing each night. We would hear voices shouting in Farsi from the rooftops; ‘God is great!’ and ‘Death to the Shaw!’ and ‘Death to America.’ We would hear the deafening rumble of armored military transports rolling down the street outside our door, taking soldiers to their positions in the city. We would hear machine-gun fire and other eruptions of violence. Inside, my wife, a friend from the US, and I were singing Christmas carols as loud as we could to keep our small children, whom we held in our arms from hearing the mayhem outside.

Two stories were being told that night. The story told in the street was a version of one of the oldest stories, the story of Cain killing his brother Abel. That story has been reenacted in every age – a tale of the quest for power and the use of force to seize it. It is a story we have never been able to resolve. The second story told that night was the story disclosed in the words of our carols. ‘Hark the Herald Angels sing, Glory to the newborn king; Peace on Earth and Mercy Mild, God and sinners reconciled. Silent Night, Holy Night! All is calm, all is bright – round yon virgin mother and child.’ Only one of these stories can be true. Only one will have the last word.”**

At Christmas we dare to proclaim the Light of Christ which is the true story . . . God’s story. It is the story of how light came into our world to stay. Darkness has not overcome . . . will never overcome it. For Christ came to be our light, to be our hope, to be our peace and to give us life.

Prayer: God, when the darkness threatens to overcome us, when we can see no flame to guide our path, may the light, who is Christ, be our guide and our hope. Open our eyes this day and our hearts to the joy of Christ’s coming among us and to the light shining through the darkness, showing the way. Amen.

Additional Advent & Christmastide Devotions can be found by clicking here:   Advent & Christmastide Devotions

*A version of this post was previously published as “Telling the True Story,” December 26, 2017   

** From the book, A New and Right Spirit: Creating an Authentic Church in a Consumer Culture by Rick Barger