The Light Shines in a Dark Place

They called them the “quiet in the land.” Pious, godly Jews, they were humble, not stuffy or pretentious like the Pharisees and Sadducees. We’ll call this man “Tevye,” after the character in the movie “Fiddler on the roof.” Tevye tries to keep the Law with its 613 commandments. Sometimes the law seems to get in the way of life and leaves questions unanswered. As he ponders these things, Tevye glances up at the night sky and notices a bright star. Her name was Emma, and she was a faithful Christian, a godly mother of ten, married to a man who didn’t go to church. Constantly, she said prayers for her husband and children. To escape the monotony and poverty of the Depression, Emma grew a flower garden and made quilts. This brought her criticism from her husband, who complained that he wanted his meals at 6:00, 12:00 and 6:00. Emma quilted until she had to quit and then put out the evening meal. Nightly, as she stood among her greasy pots, pans and plates, Emma dreamed of a better time. While she prayed, a light shone from the darkness into her kitchen. No one knows their names, or how many of them there were. They were astrologers, wise men from Mesopotamia who had listened to the words of the old Hebrew prophet when he told them to look for the star. When a new light shined in the heavens, they loaded their camels with kingly gifts and headed for Judea. They were led to a small town named Bethlehem, where they found a young toddler, the son of a carpenter and a godly young mother. Rejoicing, they presented their gifts and retreated back to Mesopotamia, just ahead of the tyrant’s troops. They had seen the light that “shineth in the dark place,” and traveled with new hope and purpose.