Is the world feeling a little more unsettled than usual this Christmas season? Adam Russell Taylor reminds us there’s a reason Advent begins in darkness. One of my least favorite December rituals is putting up Christmas lights. I loathe having to untangle the strands and can never quite summon the patience to put them up as beautifully as many of our neighbors. Needless to say, our house will never win any Christmas light competition. At the same time, I love the beauty of a well-adorned house, glowing with light that cuts through the darkness and communicates joy. But before we get to the light, we must first contend with the darkness. This past Sunday marked the beginning of Advent. Drawn from adventus, a Latin word meaning coming and arrival, the season looks forward to the impending birth of Jesus: Emmanuel, God with us. Yet Advent begins in darkness, awaiting the arrival of a light that is coming but not yet here. Amid the jingles of Christmas insisting that this is a season in which we are “merry and bright,” I’ve always found Advent to be countercultural: We do not try to hide the darkness that surrounds us but stubbornly insist that this darkness is not the end, but a new beginning. This is why many Christians observe Advent by lighting a new candle each week on a wreath, a reminder that God’s light is growing in a dark world. Advent feels particularly powerful in years like this one, when it feels hard to see God’s light breaking through.
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