I think that my most favorite time of the holidays is the end of our Christmas Eve service when we light the candles and sing a festive song or two. There's something magical about this moment - it evokes the still night when the shepherds were resting in the dark after a hard day of work tending their flocks. That stillness was majestically altered by the light and sound of the angels who must have been so excited to finally pronounce the birth of the Messiah. That moment, in turn, is a picture of the light that eventually brought an end to the harsh, dark times of the nation of Israel after 400 grueling years of oppression and silence from God. One small flicker, in the form of a fragile infant, spread to become the light of Israel and the entire world.
My favorite hymn captures this theme brilliantly:
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory o'er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Dayspring, from on high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
May you all be drawn by the light and led to the simplicity of a child, born in a manger. He longs to put an end to the dark and draw you into the light of eternal life.
Merry Christmas!
