“The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.” (Isaiah 9:2)
Amidst the deep darkness of sin, death, and sorrow, the light of Christ shines even brighter.
A Season Marked by Loss
For many people I know, this has been a very difficult year. Losing jobs and facing financial hardship. Suffering miscarriages and infertility. Saying goodbye to your house and almost everything you own. Mourning loved ones who’ve died from cancer. And the list could go on. When I try to process all of this suffering, it is truly overwhelming.
Entering the holiday season, your Christmas may look and feel very different. You might not be feeling the happiness you’re “supposed to” feel this time of year. Instead, you may be feeling sad, hollow, empty, or even numb. My own Christmas will be a little heavier this year as we prepare for my Grammy’s funeral.
The Reality of Darkness
As I’ve been reflecting on these losses, I keep envisioning the metaphor of light and darkness. With every sad news announcement, every tragic loss, every untimely death, it can feel like life is getting darker and darker. This darkness is incredibly heavy, painful, and real. The difficult realities we often try to ignore when life feels “easy” come caving in on us, and we can’t escape or ignore them.
It’s like being in a dim room that slowly fades into pitch black, the weight of darkness so heavy around us that it’s almost suffocating. It feels like anything but the “happy” and “cheerful” Christmas we’ve come to expect, the one our world often insists on while we hide beneath small talk and pained smiles.
The Light That Entered Our Darkness
And yet, as I contemplated this darkness of death, pain, suffering, and sorrow, I came face-to-face with a profound and equally true reality: this darkness is exactly what the Son of God stepped into when He left His heavenly throne to enter this world as a baby.
Like a candle lighting up a dark room, the light of Christ pierces through the stark darkness of sin and sorrow. The contrast between dark and light brings His radiance into clearer focus. The more sorrow we feel, the more deeply we long for Him—and for the healing, redemption, and salvation that only He brings.
The Promise of Emmanuel
O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine Advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds by night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to Thee, O Israel!
(O Come, O Come Emmanuel)
As we recognize the darkness more clearly, being confronted by the painful realities of this world, we can also more clearly see the light of Christ, who came into our darkness.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5)
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
Light That Triumphs Over Death
Jesus didn’t ignore the darkness we experience; rather, He entered it as a helpless baby and faced it head-on. He came as Emmanuel, “God with us.” With us in our suffering and sorrow. More than that, He suffered beyond comprehension when He willingly took our sins upon Himself and died on the cross. He faced our most fearsome foe—death itself—and overcame it. And He didn’t just die; He rose again. The Light triumphed over the darkness forever.
“Death has been swallowed up in victory.
‘Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?’
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God!
He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(1 Corinthians 15:54–57b)
The Gift of Christmas
We might think that feeling “sad” at Christmas isn’t “right,” but what we often fail to realize is that amidst the sadness, we can behold the Christ of Christmas with even greater clarity. We encounter the Christ who enters into our sadness, pain, sin, and sorrow—and gives us Himself. He is God’s great Christmas gift to us, the greatest demonstration of His love.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
May God comfort your hearts this Christmas with the reminder that “a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11b) God bless.
Charlotte Mann Lee Art 