Advent Daily Reflection 2020-12-16
John 3.16-21
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”
To be honest, I struggled with some of the language and imagery in this scripture. I was struck by the language John uses to contrast Christians with people of other faiths. It seems a bit ironic that today is the sixth day of Hanukah, the festival of light, and this passage condemns Jews and other non-believers, saying they are evildoers who love darkness, just because they do not believe in Jesus. In a divided country, where it feels like there’s so much intolerance, I find the intolerance in the passage particularly jarring. John reminds me of some rants I’ve read on Facebook recently.
I know using imagery of light and dark to talk about good and evil is very common in the bible. And I admit as we near the winter solstice, it’s natural to miss the sun and those long summer days. But light isn’t always good, unending light makes it hard to sleep, just ask anyone who has lived through an arctic summer, and it’s even used to torture prisoners. I know darkness seems scary, and we imagine evildoers lurking behind every corner, but it can also be a place to hibernate, to rest and recover. Finally, John’s denigration of darkness becomes more problematic when you view it in a racial context. I wish I could remind John that sometimes black can be beautiful too.
So yes, there’s a lot in this passage that seems off-putting to our modern ears, but I think the underlying message is still important. I know a lot of people are going through hard times right now. In a country where we are surrounded by so much poverty and death, I think this is a time where we really need to celebrate doing good deeds. If God sent Jesus to save the world, let us be that salvation through our deeds. I don’t want to be the kind of Christian who looks down on his neighbors or acts holier than thou, but the kind who helps my neighbors, especially the hungry and the poor. I am grateful for the church of Holy Apostles for providing concrete ways that I can help the children of PS 15, and support local food pantries, and support the community. During this time of advent, I hope we can spend less time waiting, and more time acting.