As I have listened to newscasters, psychologists, teachers and pastors, among others, try to make sense of the incomprehensible tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, one of the questions I hear over again is:  "How do we celebrate Christmas?"  I am not sure I have an answer for those at ground zero, those who have lost someone they love, those who are broken.  The people of that heartbroken community will have to find their way through the darkness, together, as best as they can.  I take comfort only in the knowledge that God is with them and, from what I have witnessed, they have an extraordinary group of parents, teachers, pastors, friends and caregivers in that community who are making this journey together.
 
For those closer to home and further from the center of this tragedy, whose grief, having witnessed the growing darkness of these past few days, may have left them wondering as well, I offer this reflection.  As a pastor and a preacher, it is hard not to go immediately to Herod's massacre of the innocents, recorded in the gospel of Matthew.
 
"When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men."  Matthew 2:16
 
In this we see, from the beginning, the birth of Christ has been accompanied by terrible tragedy. The horrific evil, which consumed Herod, rained such heartache over the innocents in Newtown, and has manifested itself in so many other times, places and people, is the very reason Christ was born into our world.  While this truth is often lost in our cultural celebration of Christmas, those who visit the manger by way of the cross, know better than anyone what it means that "the Light has shined in the darkness and the darkness does not overcome it."
 
While never to the magnitude of our broken hearted sisters and brothers in Newtown, as a pastor, I cannot remember a Christmas celebration that wasn't touched by the darkness in some way.  Whether a member of my own family, or the families with whom I serve, usually there is some one with whom I am called to wait with, as they long for the Light to break forth in the darkness that has consumed them.  This is one of the greatest privileges of my calling - to comfort those who mourn and stand with those waiting for the Light of God's love to be revealed.  What I have learned, from those who have invited me to stand in the darkness with them, is how to see the Light.
 
In the case of Newtown, we cannot close our eyes to the darkness.  Their pain, their grief, their brokenness is as great as any we can imagine.  But when we step back, we see the Light, shining through so many wonderful people, is even greater still. Read the stories about the children, their teachers and the staff who died, particularly their love for one another.  Read the accounts of the heroic and compassionate deeds offered by so many in the midst that horrific morning.  Read about those who have come together to pick up the pieces, to comfort and to mourn.  These are but a few of those in that great cloud of witnesses who assure us that, even in Newtown, the Light, yet, shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.
 
People of faith, this is how we will celebrate Christmas this year, seeking this Light, together.

See you in church!
 
Pastor Myers 

revhaggis1@hotmail.com