sermon excerpts: "A Walk in the Dark"

We often cast light and dark as opposites like good and evil. When we talk about a life of faith, following God’s commandments and we speak of being people of the light. Seeking the light that brings justice to hidden things, letting our light shine, and Christ is the light of the world: these are all appropriate images.

But there is value in the dark. It doesn’t have to necessarily be evil. The absence of light does not equal the absence of good. Rest and recuperation happen with sleep, healing and dreaming happen in the dark. Sometimes the harsh brightness of day is too much and we need the security and sanctuary of darkness to gather our strength.

I imagine for the wise men, there was a comfort in traveling in the dark. In the light of day, the prospect of traveling to a strange land, with strange customs, and strange language would be overwhelming to say the least. These learned scholars and adventurers pinpointed a star in the Israelite sky that simplified their task. Follow the star.

The fact that they could only journey during the night, when the star is visible, changed their priorities. In the darkness, the task of finding the king of the Jews in a strange kingdom, becomes instead, finding their way to the next morning. There could be no temptation to push through and take shortcuts. It was a very much a time of one step at a time. In the dark of night, things are simpler. Follow that star.

With the long winter nights, we need not be afraid of the dark, of the unknown that it brings. In the dark times of life, we find the blessing in the way our priorities shift. Suddenly we know with brilliant clarity, what is most important to us. The darkness blocks out distraction and danger, so that we become aware of who we are and what we are doing and where we are going.

The wise men paid attention to their dreams, avoiding Herod on the return home. It is in the times of sleep and rest that God’s call can reach our subconscious and speak to our spirits. When we are quiet and still, having turned off all distraction and worry, God’s presence surrounds us with love and care and compassion.

In all of these ways, the darkness is like the love the God. Comforting and protective, calling us forward to the promise of light. Whatever our situation, we take one step at a time, one night at a time, so that, like the wise men, we find ourselves closer to fulfilling our purpose.

Here, Jesus is moved off centre stage for a moment and other characters have a chance to shine. It is a reminder that the New Testament isn’t just about Christ, but about those that would seek him and follow him and worship him. Already, as a toddler, he is breaking boundaries of culture and class and religion.

For us, centuries later, as a community of faith that seeks to follow and worship him, we face the dark and cloudy task of figuring out how to be a successful church in this day and age. The path to finding an answer to this question seems slim and distant. But it bears remembering that we are not going to solve all the problems in one night. It will take time, effort and persistence. One step at a time.

We’ve learned at an early age to be afraid of the dark. Let us instead, with the wise men, journey ahead into the darkness and receive the blessings that are there. We’ll dream our dreams; find strength and energy to face what the morning brings. We move onward, step by step, to finding the presence of the Christ alive and waiting the gifts that we bring: our faith, our determination, our fears and our hopes – the gift of ourselves. In the blessed comfort of night, by the bright energy of day, we are not alone. We live in God’s world. Thanks be to God. Amen.