“To give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.” Luke 1:79 (NLT)
As November turned to December, I created a playlist of favorite Christmas songs that accompanied any car travel, housework, and sometimes computer work as I prepared my heart for a Jesus-centered holiday.
A handful of songs rose above the rest. More than atmosphere-setters, they became part of the illumination of the season for me. I hit Replay over and over and let the Holy Spirit use the music to pry my heart open wider for the celebration of Christ’s birth. One of those songs has a title not instantly connected with Christmas classics: “All Is Well.” But in some ways, it defines the message of Christmas.
The year I most appreciated the song, everything seemed anything but “well” in our household. Personal messages from friends told of family crises, rough diagnoses, breath-stealing challenges. And in our own home, we were approaching the date predetermined for my husband’s company’s downsizing, which meant the end of his job.
Against that backdrop came the song “All Is Well.” As soon as the last note ended, I hit “replay.” I needed to hear it again. It turned into a prayer of gratitude that Jesus came to our messy world to let us know it would get even messier, but we could still know deeply embedded peace. The poetry of the lyrics found their footing in the truth foretold in ancient times in anticipation of the arrival of Jesus on the scene: “For tonight darkness fell/Into the dawn of love’s light.”
Circumstances have no power against the relentless “dawn of Love’s light,” against the unstoppable presence of Jesus, the Light of the world. —CYNTHIA RUCHTI
FAITH STEP: This Advent season, inscribe your “darkness” concerns into the wax of a pillar candle. As you burn that candle each evening, watch those concerns melt as the light—the Light—takes over.
