Christmas is next week. Usually, the holiday season is filled with light and laughter and festive gatherings with friends and family. But it’s different in 2020. The world seems dark right now. There is political unrest, increasingly contentious posts on social media, and a raging worldwide pandemic. Christmas won’t look the same for many folks this year. My mother, children, and grandchildren usually come to our house for a weeklong holiday house party. Due to the sharp increase in Covid cases, we aren’t gathering this year. There are no holiday parties, choir cantatas, church pageants, and crowded candlelight Christmas Eve services to anticipate. While meditating on the current darkness, the memory of a long-ago Christmas popped into my mind.
We were preparing to celebrate our first Christmas as missionaries in Barranquilla, Colombia. The city was filled with palm trees and bougainvillea, but nary an evergreen was to be found in that tropical climate.
We were preparing to celebrate our first Christmas as missionaries in Barranquilla, Colombia. The city was filled with palm trees and bougainvillea, but nary an evergreen was to be found in that tropical climate.
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We had packed an artificial green tree and a box of ornaments in a nook of the shipping container of personal belongings that had arrived by boat from the states. The children were excited as we dragged the trimmings into our sweltering living room. Jack Frost definitely was not nipping at our nose. It was so hot in December in our coastal Caribbean city that we had on shorts and sandals. We pointed a creaking oscillating fan toward the tree in an effort to stave off passing out while we decorated. There was much laughter, singing of carols, and rambunctious joy as our preschoolers tossed ornaments on branches with wild abandon. We turned on the tree lights and stood back to admire our handiwork. Then we trooped off to fix supper.
This might be a good time to mention that electrical service was not exactly reliable in our city. Sometimes the electricity worked perfectly. At other times, we had no power for hours or days at a time. In addition, the electrical wiring in our South American home was a bizarre tangle of confusing connections. There were no universal government requirements or standards for wiring installation. In the middle of preparing supper that night, we were plunged into sudden darkness. As I rummaged in the junk drawer for a flashlight, we peeked out the kitchen windows. Our entire neighborhood had experienced a blackout. The lights were out in every direction. And then we walked into the living room and saw something quite unexpected. The colorful twinkling bulbs on our recently decorated Christmas tree shimmered in the blackness.
To this day, we have no idea how or why our Christmas tree lights managed to stay on while the rest of our barrio remained shrouded in darkness. The only explanation we could come up with was that the wire to the outlet where the tree lights were plugged in must be connected to a power source somewhere far beyond the boundaries of our neighborhood. Those red and green and blue and yellow bulbs were the only visible light for as far as the eye could see.
This might be a good time to mention that electrical service was not exactly reliable in our city. Sometimes the electricity worked perfectly. At other times, we had no power for hours or days at a time. In addition, the electrical wiring in our South American home was a bizarre tangle of confusing connections. There were no universal government requirements or standards for wiring installation. In the middle of preparing supper that night, we were plunged into sudden darkness. As I rummaged in the junk drawer for a flashlight, we peeked out the kitchen windows. Our entire neighborhood had experienced a blackout. The lights were out in every direction. And then we walked into the living room and saw something quite unexpected. The colorful twinkling bulbs on our recently decorated Christmas tree shimmered in the blackness.
To this day, we have no idea how or why our Christmas tree lights managed to stay on while the rest of our barrio remained shrouded in darkness. The only explanation we could come up with was that the wire to the outlet where the tree lights were plugged in must be connected to a power source somewhere far beyond the boundaries of our neighborhood. Those red and green and blue and yellow bulbs were the only visible light for as far as the eye could see.
What a precious memory to come to me at the exact time I needed it! I was reminded that my true source of joy and light doesn’t come from staying connected to my usual Christmas traditions, to my family, to holiday parties, or to church activities. Light and hope come from staying connected to my true power source. His name is Jesus. He dwells far beyond the boundaries of my neighborhood, my country, my expectations. He fills the whole world with his light and glory. Although his light and love extend farther than I can imagine, they also reside as close as my heart. Christmas will look different this year. At first glance, life may seem a bit dark and dreary right now. But the truth is, we can celebrate and rejoice no matter what is going on around us. Even in this incredible year of turmoil, we can find our way to peace and joy because of Jesus. The Light has come.
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