A Movement into Darkness

Silence.
400 years of silence.
400 years of darkness.
400 years of waiting, seeking, longing, wondering…
(Don't we get antsy after 400 seconds?)

On Sunday we lit the first candle of our Advent wreath - The Prophet’s Candle.  We lit The Prophet’s Candle to remember that The Prophets spoke of the coming of the Messiah.  God spoke through His Prophets and promised restoration, healing, deliverance, release, salvation - a Savior.  And then The Prophets stopped talking.  For 400 years they went dark.  From the last word of the OT to the first of the NT 400 years of Prophetic silence pass.

The Prophets are full of promises.  Promises from God!  It is easy to imagine how 400 years of silence might affect one’s faith.  It would be easy to conclude that God doesn’t care or that He is removed.  No doubt, sometimes is sure feels like God is a God who makes promises and then leaves (I first heard Dr. Reeves say it like this.)

“Late in time, behold Him come.”

Waiting and coming collide during Advent.
Advent means coming.
When the world was dark.
When the world was hurting.
When the world was suffering.
When the world was at war.

“Long lay the world in sin and error pining”

When your world goes dark.
When you are hurting.
When you are suffering.
When war surrounds you.
When the sin of your dark soul is exposed.

The first movement of the Advent season is a movement into darkness.

To hurt with those who hurt.
To mourn with those who mourn.
To grieve with those who grieve.
To suffer with those who suffer.
Our world can be very dark.

To deal honestly with the darkness of your soul.
To stop blaming other for your sin.
To stop dividing your world into “us vs. them”
To allow the Gospel to expose the dark secrets of your heart.
Your soul can be very dark.

The first movement of the Advent season is a movement into darkness.

Just in time, behold He comes.
Happy Advent.  Merry Christmas.

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying,
“I am the Light of the world;
He who follows Me will not walk in the darkness,
but will have the Light of life. - John 8:12

May the Lord bless you this Advent season
By opening your eyes to the sin and darkness around you;
And the sin and darkness that is in your very soul.
May the Light of the Gospel break into your darkness.
Now may the Lord of peace Himself rescue you from
The domain of darkness and transfer you to the Kingdom
Of His beloved Son, our Lord - the Light of the World.

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