Light in the Darkness
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
Isaiah 9:2
Darkness is our beginning
Not our ending.
We begin in darkness
The womb of Creation
Covering the face of the deep.
So also, darkness is the beginning
Of Redemption.
A Star appears in the darkness—
A signpost to the wise
Of all times and from all places
To leave their darkness
And journey to find him
Who is Light.
Light is found
Not in a palace of privilege
But in a place of poverty.
Light is found
With an angelic chorus
To shepherds at their work by night.
Light is found
In a stable that is
Heaven’s Gate to a Renewed Creation.
Darkness is not our destiny—
Light is.
Something to Do:
Watch Canadian singer and songwriter Steve Bell sing “The Magnificat” in the Shepherds’ Field Chapel in Bethlehem in this 2010 video.
Prayer:
“O Clavis” (Key of David) by Malcolm Guite, from Sounding the Seasons: Seventy Sonnets for the Christian Year.
Even in the darkness where I sit
And huddle in the midst of misery
I can remember freedom, but forget
That every lock must answer to a key,
That each dark clasp, sharp and intimate,
Must find a counter-clasp to meet its guard.
Particular, exact and intricate,
The clutch and catch that meshes with its ward.
I cry out for the key I threw away
That turned and over turned with certain touch
And with the lovely lifting of a latch
Opened my darkness to the light of day.
O come again, come quickly, set me free,
Cut to the quick to fit, the master key.
Amen.
Uli Chi
Board Member, Senior Fellow, Affiliate Professor
Dr. Uli Chi’s career is a testament to his unique approach to leadership. He has navigated the realms of for-profit businesses, nonprofit organizations, the theological academy, and the local church, gleaning a wealth of wisdom from each. As an award-winning technological entrepreneur, h...