Before the time change in November, I was leaving my house to take my morning walk in darkness.  I walk first thing in the morning.  I like to walk early because it is routine.  It doesn’t matter how awake I am, my habit is pulling on my boots and heading across the road as soon as I have breakfast and do my devotions.  Because of the morning traffic at the Genoa Christian Academy, I try to cross Route 3 around 7:30.  It had gradually gotten darker and darker at 7:30 until it was just plain dark when I was crossing the road and entering the park.

One morning I set out in the dark.  I was wearing my lighted vest as I crossed the road and walked to the park.  When I reached the park I turned off the vest so I could enjoy walking in the darkness.  There was just enough pre-dawn light to see the path.  I walked along, not really paying attention to much until I started up the second hill.  Suddenly, the sun came up over the horizon and the forest was flooded with light.

I stopped and stared at the sunrise, as if it was the first I had ever seen.  I had been walking along in the dark, accepting the darkness.  But the sunrise felt like it made everything new.  It surprised me with its suddenness and its beauty.  The golden leaves high on the trees were ablaze with color, set off by the sunrise.  And all of it seemed like a metaphor for life.

Advent is the time of year when we talk about darkness and light as we prepare for the birth of Christ.  The Gospel of John begins by talking about darkness, instead of talking about a birth narrative:

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.  ⁹ The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. ¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

We are people who walk in darkness.  In fact, we are so accustomed to darkness that we are surprised by the light.  We may not even notice, in our times of darkness, that they are gradually lightening.  Sorrow, difficulties, sickness, tragedy all make our world seem dark.  We walk in that darkness and are surprised by the light of Christ, bursting through, changing everything.  The light shines but we don’t even notice until, suddenly, we do.  May this Advent be a time when you are, again, surprised by the light of Christ.