Book Ende

"Do you hear the people sing?
Lost in the valley of the night
It is the music of a people who are climbing to the light
For the wretched of the earth there is a flame that never dies
Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise."

Yes, this is from the musical, but the theme rings true with Hugo's novel, the last book of which is entitled "Supreme Shadow, Supreme Dawn." There is an entire genre of literature that hinges on the idea of the darkness that precedes the dawning of a new day -Hugo's Les Miserables, Dostoevsky's The Brother's Karamazov and Crime and Punishment, Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. We like these stories- to read them, to quote them, to make them into musicals and movies. We are hooked on stories that redeem the darkness of life, that reassure us there is sunlight waiting just on the other side of what seems to be an endless night.






For the last two years, my family has faced Christmas, a season of light, in the dark shadow of loss. In October of 2011 my grandpa died, we mourned, and then there was Christmas. In August of this year, less than four months ago, my uncle died, we mourned, and then there was Christmas.

It's true that the holidays are the hardest times for people who have recently lost someone. Thanksgiving and Christmas are times steeped in old family traditions, that hold so many memories, and when the family gathers together as regular as clockwork, the absence of a dear one is felt most of all.

But what would grief look like without the light of Christmas? What would the darkness be without the dawn - Without Christmas, death would have no end. Without the incarnation, there is no resurrection. Without Christmas, mourning would be infinite. Instead, "weeping may tarry for the night but joy comes with the morning (Psalm 30:5)."

This is why we like our stories- they remind us that on the darkest of nights, we have a light. Christmas reminds us who that Light is and that He has come.