Lighting Up the Darkness

For awhile now, the expression “going viral” has meant that something has really taken off and spread rapidly through social media. It might be a cat video or a news clip, a sports blooper or a comical meme. The more clicks a post receives, the faster it climbs in popularity. To “go viral” is a phenomenon so embedded in our culture that we’ve probably long since forgotten the origin of the expression.

In this time of global crisis, we’ve been reminded. As coronavirus replicates and devastates, “going viral” suddenly becomes an expression of dis-ease. Anxiety. Fear.

I find myself wondering about the antidote to these conditions. What might it be? Perhaps the treatment lies in whatever brings comfort, familiarity, and hope.

For me, all of these characteristics are captured in the beautifully beloved symbol of the Moravian Star. With its warm glow gently bathing space with light, I recall that Christ Jesus illuminates in a similar, inviting way. Gazing at it, my blood pressure decreases.

Normally, a Moravian Star is displayed from Advent to Epiphany, and then it gets packed away for most of the rest of the year. But there’s nothing normal about our situation. Earlier today, I learned that some folks in North Carolina had begun to take their stars out of storage and hang them as a sign of hope to a weary world. I don’t think it will take much convincing to encourage folks everywhere to do the same. In this way, we overspread something destructive with goodness!

This is OUR viral moment, people of God! This is OUR opportunity to light the darkness, and to give fresh hope to those whose hope is dimming.

What came into being   through the Word was life,
     and the life was the light for all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light.   John 1: 4-5 (CEB)

Shining in Faith,

Pastor Chris