Living in the Light

Refrain:

 A light is gleaming,
spreading its arms
throughout the night,
living in the light.
Come share its gladness,
God's radient love is burning bright,
living in the light.

A Light Is Gleaming Linnea Good

On Sunday evening we had a pleasant home invasion as choir members, some of their partners, and Bridge St staff -- nearly forty in total -- came together for the Christmas potluck supper and social. Ruth, my wife, reminded those gathered that as we draw close to the winter solstice we light the candles of Advent and Hanukah was at hand. We sang two verses of the hymn A Light Is Gleaming as our grace because, well, this is a singin' crowd.

Today is the beginning of Hanukah, a moveable festival in Judaism, and it will conclude on Christmas Eve this year. I have written about Hanukah many times through the years, but I'll remind you that it is considered a minor celebration in some respects, yet it is rich in the imagery of light and has lots of fun traditions. The dreidels are a nice distraction, but I'm more partial to the potato latkes.

Any traditions of light are welcome at this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere when the daylight hours are so miserly. And during the past few weeks it has seemed that every forecast for sunshine has been a lie, with far too many overcast days.

It has also been grim in terms of the world scene. ISIL or ISIS rampages, Ebola is still a scourge, and violence prevails in many places. This morning we began to hear of the cowardly Taliban attack on a school in Pakistan with scores of children killed. This is human evil and darkness at its worst.

We need to affirm the light in every way, so Happy Hanukah to our Jewish friends. As Christians we prepare to welcome Jesus as the light of the world.  The beginning of the gospel of John affirms God-with-us: "the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it."

Thoughts about "living in the light?"