1 DEC
December 21
Light in the Darkness: Christ as Our Hope
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:5
Reflection
Today is longest night, and I think of the long dark years of suffering of the Palestinian people, following their forced displacement from many parts what is now Israel in 1948, which they call the ‘Nakba’ (catastrophe) and their ongoing trauma in Gaza and the West Bank.
When I lived in a Palestinian village in 2010 as part of a World Council of Churches programme, I found the cruelty and injustices of the Israeli occupation almost unbearable. I struggled to pray amidst such hopelessness.
All I could do was sit in the dark next to a candle feeling despair crushed by the weight of people’s trauma, but I found if I stayed and leaned into my difficult feelings something began to shift, and I was surprised by a sense of hope. Palestinians describe this steadfastness as ‘sumud’ Romans 5.3-5 ‘For suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character and character hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit’
Jonathan Herbert
Community at Hilfield
Action; find out more from The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions icahd.org
Reflective Action
CARRY THE LIGHT INTO A DARK PLACE
After lighting a candle in silence today, reflect not only on its beauty but on its mission.
Where is the darkness in my community, my family, my inner life?
Choose one small but intentional act to carry Christ’s light into that space.
It may be a visit to someone isolated, a word of truth spoken gently, or a renewed commitment to justice.
Franciscan Quote
“Let us always desire the light of the Spirit and the brightness of divine wisdom.”
St. Francis of Assisi
(Admonition VII)
Prayer
Christ, Light of the World,
you did not shun the night.
You were born into it,
wrapped not in gold,
but in silence and stars.
Shine through me, not to dazzle,
but to guide, to comfort, to steady.
Like Lucia, let me carry
the flame of love
into shadowed places
with courage,
with gentleness,
with joy.
CULTURAL insight
Sweden
In the hush of Advent, I think of Santa Lucia.
I remember the girl in white, crowned with candles, walking slowly through the dark, her light steady and brave.
She doesn’t banish the night – but she changes it.
Her flame reminds me that even a single light can hold back despair.
As I wait for Christ, the Light of the World, I wonder how I, too, might carry light… through kindness, truth, presence.
The darkness in the world feels deep, but Lucia walks ahead, showing me how to move gently, hopefully, through it.
Advent is not about avoiding the dark, but lighting it.
Carried with Purpose
“Then she brought him to the temple to present him to the Lord.”
John 1:5
developmental markers
week 30
In the womb
- 40 cm (15.7 in), 1.3 kg (2.9 lbs);
- all major senses active;
- strong movement and awareness of space
in the mother
- physical discomfort increases;
- emotional vulnerability may return;
- a sense of spiritual readiness begins to rise
reflection
At thirty weeks, Mary knows she carries more than a child. She carries a promise.
Every movement reminds her that this life is not hers to hold forever. The womb has become a place of sound and memory.
Jesus, fully alive and aware, listens to her voice, feels her touch, knows her heartbeat. The songs she hums, the prayers she whispers, the sounds of the world around her, all begin to
shape the Christ Child.
Mary carries Him not for herself alone, but for the world. She will one day bring Him to the temple, releasing Him to God’s greater purpose and on the the Cross. But for now, she holds Him in this hidden sanctuary of sound, breath, and love. Though discomfort and vulnerability grow, so does her quiet readiness.
The space she has given becomes a sacred offering, carrying Light for the sake of others.
wonderings:
I wonder how Mary’s prayers and songs shaped the heart of Christ even before His birth.
I wonder how I might carry hope, knowing it is meant not just for me, but for the world.
Journaling Prompts
If you keep an Advent Journal, here are some ideas you could write about;
Advent holds space for both the candle and the shadow.
Hope, in this season, isn’t a denial of suffering.
It is the decision to stay with it until the light breaks through.
Ask yourself: What darkness in the world do I find hardest to face right now?
Where do I feel helpless or tempted to turn away?
Can I choose, even for a moment, to sit with that pain in prayer without fixing or fleeing?
Now write: A short letter to Christ, the Light, from within that darkness.
Be honest.
Name what you see.
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