Darkness and light

I wonder if you were asked which month of the year was your least favourite month - what would you say?

I would probably say November because it often feels (at least from the point of view of the weather in our country) like a rather dark and dismal month.

I suppose that most of us would prefer the summer months to the winter ones and I guess that this would be true of most farmers also. This is probably because of the fewer hours of daylight, and the generally poorer weather, as well as the fact that a lot of stock has to be housed in winter. All this makes work on the farm more difficult at this time of year. Generally, I think we all prefer light and warmth to darkness and cold.

There are many in the medical profession who actually recognise a condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, which refers to a tendency in some people to feel more depressed or ‘down’ during the winter months. It is thought that this may have something to do with reduced sunlight affecting a small gland in the brain, called the Pineal gland. Some readers may be able to identify personally with this.

As for me, I always like to get through November and then past Christmas towards New Year. Then, if we get a lovely, bright, crisp New Year’s Day, like we did here in Waringstown, it gives me a feeling of something better to look forward to, at least in terms of the weather.

The Bible uses light and darkness as spiritual pictures or images. Darkness is used as a picture of sin, or living without the knowledge of the true God. By contrast, Jesus is called ‘the Light of the world’ (John 8:12). Now if people do not know Him as Saviour and Lord then, according to Scripture, they are still in spiritual darkness.

The Old Testament prophet Isaiah (in chapter 9 verse 2) looked forward to the coming of Jesus when he said, ‘the people walking in darkness have seen a great light’. In the New Testament, in his Gospel, Luke writes that Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, describes Jesus as ‘the rising sun who will come to us from Heaven to shine on those living in darkness’ (Luke 1: 78 & 79). The Apostle Peter tells us that when we come to know Jesus we are brought from the darkness of sin into the light of the Gospel (1 Peter 2:9).

We have recently entered a new year and, as the weeks pass, hopefully we will see better weather, less darkness and more light, and we can look forward in the will of God to a good spring and summer. But, more importantly, do we know Jesus as the Light of the world, or are we still walking in the darkness of sin?

John in his Gospel tells us that when Jesus came into the world he was a ‘light shining in the darkness’ (John 1:5). Sadly Jesus Himself said that although ‘light has come into the world...men love darkness rather than light’ (John 3:19). May that not be true of us. If we are to know the Saviour, we must turn from our sinful darkness in true repentance and trust only in Jesus, who died on the cross to save us, and bring us from darkness to light.

Rev Dr Kenneth Patterson is a former GP who was ordained for the ministry in 1990. He retired in 2013 after 19 years as Minister of Castledawson and Curran Presbyterian churches in South Derry. Having worked on farms during his student days, before coming a minister, as a hobby he now enjoys restoring vintage farm machinery.

If you would like to talk to someone about any of the issues raised in this article, please email Rev. Kenny Hanna at [email protected] or call him on 028 9753 1234.