A single light

His life brought light to everyone.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.’

John 1:4b,5

It is a big church, so dark within but for a single Advent candle.

There is no telling who all is here.

As I stand in the darkness,

I stammer with a palpable unworthiness to be here,

held only by a desperate craving for light.

Why is anyone here?

Do they share this same sense of unworthiness,

or am I alone the fraud?

No I thought, they are here for reasons as nebulous as mine —

enough to question their sincerity, their intentions, their faith.

Some are here because they have to be,

they’d be desperately lonely without.

Some are here in the hope of being seen,

since it has been weeks, if not years,

since anyone has really seen

them.

Some have rituals to perform,

the younger keen on performing them well

the elders mired in their repetition.

Some hearts are elsewhere,

distracted,

distraught,

divided,

done in.

Perhaps, a family dispute they couldn’t help but bring with them?

Some are here to be social,

some to be anti-social.

Some are lost.

Some uncertain.

Some too certain.

Some are being wronged,

some have done wrong.

some have won

some can’t stop losing.

some no longer keep score.

Some are new born,

some are slowly fading.

Some will not be here again.

Whatever the why we think ourselves here,

it is the light alone who brings us.

Here in the dark,

yet not too dark

that a single light

can’t displace it.

Merry Christmas