Lights out in Kmart

by Jonathan Krause

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The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it (John 1:5).

Read John 1:1–14

My granddaughter was worried. She was three years old. It was her bedtime, and Mum, tucking her in, told her she was going to Kmart to do some last-minute shopping.

‘But Mum, it’s dark. You won’t be able to see in Kmart.’

‘It’s okay, darling. There are lights there.’

Silence for a bit. Then a shout as Mum was walking out.

‘Mum, Mum, I have an idea.’

‘Yes, my love. What’s your idea?’

‘You can borrow my headtorch. Then you will be able to see.’

There are times when our world can feel very dark. There are the ‘big’ things happening on the worldwide stage – wars, poverty, changing climate, breakdown of law and order, technology that feels out of control, ‘news’ you can’t trust anymore and old certainties suddenly fragile.

Then there are things that the world won’t notice, but that are ‘big’ in our own lives. Worry about kids. Bills to pay. Health is not what it was. Loss of loved ones. Our own personal doubts and fears.

Clouds roll in. Darkness threatens. And we can feel too small to make our way through on our own.

My granddaughter’s headtorch might help navigate Kmart if the lights went out, but we need much more to make our way through the dark times of life.

What can trick us is that when the day is bright, we don’t feel we need a light. In fact, you can’t see a light. When everything is going well, we can think maybe we’re okay on our own.

But when the darkness comes, what a reassurance that light is. It’s there all the time, day and night, bright and dark, yet we appreciate its power and comfort best when the darkness comes.

That’s the great comfort of today’s verse. We are reassured that the darkness cannot overtake the light that came to life in the birth of Jesus. The light is more powerful. Therefore, it makes logical sense to put our trust in the light, not in the dark.

Maybe that’s what you and I can be, too. The light in someone’s dark. That would be a real Christmas present to give.

Thank you, Father, for your gift of Jesus, the light of our life in this world. Please shine through me to bring light to those still living in darkness, especially those I love. Amen.

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