* Advent 4 – Love/Winter Solstice

This past Sunday we lit the fourth candle of Advent, the candle of love. Coincidentally, this year the fourth Sunday of Advent landed on the brink of the Winter Solstice, or the darkest night of the year. In the gospel of John it is written “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” On this dark night while I walked down the street with a mild fog absorbing the light being emitted from the street lamps, I was
reminded of this verse. The verse seemed particularly appropriate given the day of the year. It also crossed my mind that with lighting the fourth candle our advent wreath, it is becoming quite bright with all the light, and light drives out physical darkness, while love drives out the darkness of the soul. With a personally difficult Autumn, I have also noted that love and light are things that are often given to us, perhaps in the same way that Mary and Joseph found a place to spend a night when there was no place for them to stay. As the days begin to lengthen and things can only get brighter from here, I would encourage you to find light and love within yourself to enlighten the world around in which we all live.