Light Up the Darkness

by Emily Hampton

Listen

Read Along

One of my earliest Christmas memories is standing on a pew in the dark between my parents as the congregation sang Silent Night and lit candles. Even as a five-year-old, I was transfixed by the beauty of the sanctuary emerging from darkness as each congregant shared their light and joined their voices in song.

There is so much darkness in our world. Wars rage, children hunger, people suffer alone. We value profit over people, convenience over care for creation, our own welfare over our neighbors’. Sometimes this darkness feels overwhelming. There is so much to do, so much to repair— it makes me want to reach up and yank down the Kingdom of God so we can finally live how we’re supposed to, right here and right now. Given that impossibility, why even try?

And yet, I believe that the smallest flicker brings light into darkness. For me, that’s trying to ride my bike instead of driving. Maybe for you it’s attending a protest or advocating for policy change. Perhaps it’s taking dinner to a sick neighbor or a struggling friend. Or maybe it is remembering to rest, breathe, and pray.

We do not do this work alone. Like those Christmas Eve candles, it’s not about one person shining all the light. Each of us does what we can, and together these small actions add up to real change. That’s what gives me comfort in dark days—seeing how our combined efforts, however small they might seem individually, can light up the darkness around us.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.

- Martin Luther King, Jr.