Light

by Pastor Bob Melone, Stone House Presbyterian Church

Growing up in a suburb of Buffalo, New York, where we always had over 100 inches of snow each year, the Christmas carol “In the Bleak Midwinter” always had special meaning. To describe our chilly and snowy winter days as ‘bleak’ was putting it mildly.

Earth really did stand . . . ‘hard as iron,’ and water was indeed . . . ‘like a stone.’

Fortunately, in the midst of that dreariness were the seasons of Advent and Christmas. As days got shorter and darker and colder, the holidays were a reminder that light was coming into the world, and that darkness would never have the final say. My Spirit would often cry out with the words of another carol:

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine advent here

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Today, as our world continues to move further and further into the 21^st century, I see both a whole lot of darkness, and at the same time a great longing for light. Sin abounds: poverty and violence, hatred and war, injustice and oppression. Religious zealots do battle with one another over truth. Nations and governments compete for power and control over world markets. And social classes condemn those who are not like they are. Darkness threatens to overwhelm us with anxiety, hopelessness, and fear.

Never the less, in spite of this darkness, people are looking for light. We search for grace and mercy, peace and love, and kindness and compassion. We strive to bring about that day when God’s kingdom comes, and when God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven. Perhaps that’s why so many of us will gather on Christmas Eve, in worship settings around the world, where we will sing about a silent and holy night . . . about “the Son of God . . . (about) love’s pure light.”

This year, as the darkness of December closes in, and as winter masks so many signs of life, may those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ – those of us who strive to serve God and who seek to love our neighbor – may each one of us recommit ourselves to mirror the light of the Christ-child to the world. Let’s cry out with all creation, “break forth, O beauteous heavenly light.’ Let’s proclaim to all the world . . . “Joy to the world, the Lord has come.” Let’s celebrate the ‘Light’ this Christmas, and then let’s live the ‘Light’ throughout the New Year.

Pastor Bob Melone has been married 25 years to Jeanne (“Shan”) Hartzner Melone, and they have four children – Stefan, and his wife Leah, Jacob, who is a junior at Christopher Newport University, and Kirsten, who is a senior at Lafayette High School. Bob is the organizing pastor of Stone House Presbyterian Church in Williamsburg, VA, and has been serving in that capacity for the past 10 years. He was ordained in 1986, and has served in two additional churches. Bob was the Associate Pastor for Youth and Families at First Presbyterian Church in York, PA from 1986-1992, and the Senior Pastor/Head of Staff at First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant in Erie, PA from 1992-2000. He has a BA in International Relations from The American University; a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary; and a Doctorate of Ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Bob loves the beach, Italian food, and living in Williamsburg.