WHEN LIGHT BREAKS THE NIGHT
Goals are important. When I was eight years old, I had the same goal every recess. I wanted to dig the biggest hole anyone had ever dug. I know this might seem impossible, but I was dedicated. I spent all afternoon digging. I would come back the next day and dig some more. Occasionally, my goal-hole was filled up when I arrived. While this was a bummer, it did not stop me from starting again. 

One day, I was getting extremely close to seeing my dream become a reality. I imagined that my picture would be on the cover of the newspaper. The President would give me a medal. Every girl would want to sit next to me during snack time. It was going to be a big deal. The hole was about four feet deep. I could stand in it! In my mind, this was the biggest hole on planet earth. 

Unfortunately, my dedicated digging was interrupted when my teacher walked over to my construction site. “You need to go see the principal, Jackson.” All the other children screeched, “Ooooooh, you’re in trouble,” because that’s what kids do. Kids are obnoxious sometimes. I knew I was innocent, so I just assumed they were going to give me my hole-digging-award. 

When I got into the office, our principal quickly instructed me to go to his truck. I started to think that this might actually be a big deal. I have never been in so much trouble that they took me out of school before. This was going to a bad one! Even though I had no clue what I did, I began writing my apology in my head. 

Every time we passed a blue sign with an H, the vehicle would make an abrupt turn. We continued this pattern until we pulled into the hospital parking lot. My mom met me outside. She quietly guided me down brightly-lit, funny-smelling hallways. In slow motion, we walked into a room where I saw my father in an uncomfortable bed attached to dozens of machines. I ran over to hug him as confusion swept over his face. He didn’t say anything, he just looked scared. 

My father didn’t know who I was.
He didn’t know who my mom was.
He didn’t even know how to speak. 

He had suffered a series of strokes that day. Those strokes stripped him of his memories and robbed him of his ability to communicate. This was not a short-term condition — my father remained about the same for the rest of his life. This day radically changed my life forever. Even in broad daylight, darkness crept in. 

READ: John 1:1-5
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”   
 
When John opens up his gospel, he doesn’t start at Christmas. He doesn’t start with the angel coming to Mary. He doesn’t talk about the family gathered around a newborn in a manger. John takes us all the way back to the beginning of time. This passage teaches that Jesus was there before the beginning — active in the creation of the universe. 

Think of the darkest surroundings you have ever been around, now multiply it by a million. This is what things must have looked like before creation. It was void, black, and empty. Then God spoke up. The Genesis account says that God broke the silence by saying “let there be light” (Genesis 1:3). God created literal light for the world and Jesus was the spiritual light for the world’s population. John teaches that within Jesus was the “light of all mankind.” Jesus is light embodied. 

We love lights around Christmas, right? There are lights on our houses. Lights scattered over our bushes. We place a dead tree in our living rooms covered in luminous lights. It’s beautiful, it’s comforting, and it’s a powerful metaphor for the coming of Christ. Have you ever seen how the smallest amount of light dispels darkness? From the glow of a cell phone to the flicker of a candle, even a little light destroys darkness. Just like the lights in our home, Jesus destroys the darkness in our hearts. 

You may be going through a dark time too. 
Some of you are going through Christmas in a broken home.
Some of you are going through this season after loosing a loved one. 
Some of you are feeling lonely this season.

Celebrating Christmas after my Father’s disabling stroke was heartbreaking and hard, but God gave our family perplexing peace. It was hard, but we still felt hope. Just like the glowing star illuminating the night sky in Bethlehem, the light broke through the night. Jesus shows up in people’s darkest moments. 

If you are experience darkness now, know that God is with you. Pray through your pain. Open up your heart. Lean on Jesus. And the light will break the night. 

TALK IT OUT 
Go through these questions with your circle. Be honest. Be open. Talk through the tough stuff.

Q1: How does your family decorate for Christmas?

Q2: Why are the holidays such a tough season for some families?

Q3: How can you be a light for Jesus through someone else’s darkest times?

Q4: When you are experiencing suffering, how can you turn to Jesus?

Q5: Commit to being a source of hope and love for someone who is struggling this Christmas. What can you do for them?