The Coming of the Light: Light as Presence

Do not rejoice over me, my enemies;

when I fall, I shall rise;

when I sit in darkness,

the Lord will be a light to me. ~ Micah 7:8

How many children in your life have you know to be scared of the dark?

Worried a monster was hiding under the bed and that it would come out as soon as the lights went out?

I was never much afraid of the dark myself as a kid, but I've always had an appreciation of the power it wielded. Even if I wasn't afraid of monsters, I knew that bad things could happen...

...a lesson I was reminded of recently when coming down in early morning one Sunday, I fell down the bottom two stairs because I couldn't see. I'd taken the nightlight out of the wall for some reason.

Bad things happen in the dark. I put the nightlight back in the wall socket immediately.

God as night light might be a great metaphor for children. Just as that light on keeps the monsters at bay - whether it's a nightlight, or a light in the closet, or lamp on a nightstand - God as light is there always standing by, to remind us that no matter how dark things seem, we are not alone.

Question for thought: Were you afraid of the dark as a child? When is sometime in your life where the darkness frightened you? How did you sense God in that time?

Come, O Holy One, for we wait upon you. And light the darkness of our hearts and lives so that we may know your love fully. Amen