Light Has Dawned

This is the time of year when days get shorter and the night grows noticeably longer. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that many people feel due to seasonal changes, especially relating to decreased sunlight. Even if we aren’t formally diagnosed with SAD, the long nights can have an effect on a lot of us.

But every year, I remind myself that the long nights aren’t here forever. I know that after the winter solstice, things will begin to change the other way and days will grow longer again. I take some confidence in knowing that the pattern happens every year without fail.

The prophet Isaiah had a word of encouragement for those who were suffering centuries before the birth of Christ. He said, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. On those living in a pitch-dark land, light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:2).

People of faith are also people of hope. We know that even if we’re walking in darkness at the moment, light will dawn in the future. The Advent season is about living in hope, even if we’re walking in darkness!

Blessings,
Pastor Paul Cook