Restore us, O God of hosts* Show us the light of your countenance and we shall be saved. Psalm 80:3b, 7b, 18b
You may have heard that darkness is “no-thing.” It has no substance in and of itself, but rather is simply the lack of light We are now in the darkest time of year – the winter solstice – when the sun is at the lowest angle as we experience the shortest days of the year. It can be a dark and gloomy time. But that is not the end of the story. Just as we know that the days will begin to lengthen, we also know that times of trial and sorrow will give way to the light of God. Just as we await the coming of Spring, never doubting its eventual appearance, may we also expect the coming of God’s reign in the birth of an infant who brings us the light of God. If we stay open to this light, we can be instruments of this holy light. May we allow the light of God shining in and through us to banish the darkness around us. Three times in the appointed portions of Psalm 80, the psalmist cries out, “show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.” Let the light of the new born babe shine through every dark spot in our lives.
Roger Wood