South Africa, a nation rich in resources, people, and possibility, only recently emerged from its darkest hour. The nation traveled through a tunnel of darkness and ignorance that was generated by a social and racial system of segregation called Apartheid. The National Party of South Africa, formed in 1914 after a revolt by the Afrikaner people against the British, created the system of Apartheid in 1948. Ostensibly it was advertised as a means for "separate development" but it in essence was a system designed to maintain white supremacy. Apartheid did not allow 77 percent of the nation's people, namely the black citizens, to participate in the government. South Africa's dark night lasted almost fifty years, but there was a ray of hope.
The first streaks of light were found in a courageous white politician, F. W. de Klerk. This man had risen to the top of the National Party and was elected president of South Africa in 1990. He believed that the Apartheid system was unjust and inhumane and, thus, he immediately took steps to dismantle it. He needed help, however; he could not do it alone. He found his assistant in the unlikely person of Nelson Mandela, a black man whose name has been closely associated with freedom in recent years. Mandela had been a member of the African National Congress, originally a nonviolent group, but more militant after 1944. In 1964, Mandela was convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to life in prison. Despite his incarceration, he kept the flame of faith alive that one day there would be freedom in his native land. That day began in February 1990 when de Klerk ordered Mandela to be released.
The two men, different in many ways, began to work together to find a common way toward peace and justice. They negotiated a settlement between the National Party and the African National Congress, which led to the composition of a new constitution and the transition of power to a more democratic form of government. In 1993, de Klerk and Mandela shared the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize. The next year, Nelson Mandela was elected the first black president of South Africa.
Like the United States, which suffered through its dark night of slavery and Civil War, and was brought to the light of a new day through the efforts of Abraham Lincoln, so South Africa experienced the dark tunnel of Apartheid. Lincoln courageously issued his Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, abolishing a slave system that had plagued the United States since before the Declaration of Independence. Similarly, it was the combined efforts of two courageous men, Nelson Mandela and F. W. de Klerk, men who were different in most every way, save their unified belief in the evil of racism, that kept the light of faith burning and, thereby, brought their nation to a new day.
Today we celebrate the third Sunday of Advent. We have been on a journey that at times might seem to have been dark and uncertain. But our Gospel Reading today clearly tells us that it is time to rejoice, our period of preparation and waiting is nearing its end. The light is near.
The Judeo-Christian tradition is filled with examples of how, through the hard work and courage of significant people, the dark night experienced by people of faith was erased and brought to a brilliant light. While darkness at times prevailed in the Jewish community, there was always light at the end of the tunnel provided by God. We recall how the Israelites, after 450 years of oppression at the hands of the Egyptian pharaohs, cried out to God and the Lord sent the great deliverer, Moses. Moses was somewhat reluctant, but he eventually accepted the commission God gave him. He repeatedly went to Pharaoh seeking release of the Israelites, only to be rebuffed each time. But God was ever-present and through the great plagues, especially the death of the first born of all Egyptians, clearly demonstrated that light would come if the people would follow the path shown to them.
Another dark day for Israel was the infamous Babylonian exile. The people had been warned by Jeremiah, Isaiah, and other prophets who spoke God's word to Judah, but the failure of the Jewish religious leaders led to their deportation to Babylon. Yet, even as the darkness enveloped them, God sent Ezekiel (37:1-14) who spoke of Israel as dry bones that God returns to life. Isaiah (62:2-4) came to the people after their return and predicted a new day for Israel: "The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you and your land shall be Married." During the persecution of the Jews by the Greeks led by Antiochus Epiphanes, God raised up Judas Maccabeus who rallied the people and again retrieved the light.
God's promise of the light certainly reached its apex in the promise of a Messiah. While prophets like Micah and Jeremiah spoke of a warrior king who would triumph over Israel's enemies, Isaiah spoke of a suffering servant who would bring peace and justice. In each case, when the darkness seemed pervasive, God provided the means to find the light.
Thus, the scene was set for the appearance of John the Baptist in the desert. Like the great prophets of earlier generations, John was sent to bring God's light to a people in darkness. As Isaiah (9:2) predicted, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who have lived in a land of deep darkness — on them light has shined." The darkness for the Jews of John's day was the yoke of Roman domination, manifest in the puppet reign of King Herod of Judea. The Jews needed the light and it was John's task to prepare them for the light. John (John 1:23) clearly articulates his role: "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.' " The prologue of John's Gospel (1:6-9) powerfully proclaims John's purpose: "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world." John, as we stated last week, was the trailblazer who pointed to the light and announced a new day. Jesus was the light which the darkness could not overcome, yet the very people to whom he was sent never recognized him.
The third Sunday of Advent is traditionally a time to rejoice for the long journey, our patient waiting is coming to an end; a new day will soon dawn. Saint Paul echoes this powerful theme in his writings. In Philippians (4:4) he states, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice." He writes to the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
We can and must rejoice as Paul suggests, for the Lord is near; there is a light at the end of the tunnel. All of us must pass through various dark nights in the journey of life. As we experience these difficult challenges we must constantly seek the light, but we know that the light is only found at the end of a tunnel. We must, therefore, persevere in order to find the light. Life is filled with many obstacles and detours that require our attention. We must never fear to go forward; we must embrace the challenges that come our way. We learn the most and greatest lessons in life from engaging problematic situations. Most of the time we will succeed; sometimes we will fail. Each time, however, we will gain something very important and learn some important lessons of life. The famous sixteenth-century mystic and church reformer, Saint John of the Cross, wrote about his dark night of the soul as a spiritual dryness. Jesus embraced his cross without regard to its ignominy. There is certainly no need for us to look for hurdles and problems for they will certainly come our way. Nonetheless we should not run away when they find us.
What dark nights have you recently experienced? How have you fared and what is your status today? For some the dark night comes in loneliness. Whether we are single, married, or celibate there are times when we will be lonely. At times, we think that nobody cares, not even God. For others the dark night is experienced through illness, be it our own sickness or that of a family member or loved one. At times, the tunnel begins to cave in when illness leads to death. There are times, as well, that darkness is experienced through losing a job or being underemployed. Losing one's job is always difficult, especially at this time of the year. For a few, the dark night is a loss of faith. We perceive the absence of God, and wonder why God has abandoned us and does not answer our prayers as we think God should.
Society has also traversed some dark nights, such as apartheid in South Africa and slavery in the United States, but through perseverance and the good work of many fine people, it has found the light at the end of the journey. Still, many dark nights remain and, thus, we must be like John the Baptist in pointing society toward the light. Racism, anti-Semitism, poverty, ignorance, and arrogance which still exist in abundance, seek to cast our world into darkness. But even with systemic problems the light does exist. We must do our share to provide it. A little story clearly demonstrates the challenge before us. One day a woman made an interesting discovery. She went to her basement seeking some potatoes for a stew she planned to prepare. The potatoes were kept in the darkest corner of the room. She noticed when she went to that corner that some of the potatoes had sprouted and she wondered how they had received the light to grow. Then all of a sudden, a bright ray of light struck her face. The light from the window had hit a highly polished copper kettle that reflected the light onto the potatoes. The woman was excited about her discovery and exclaimed, "I may not be a preacher or a teacher with the ability to expound on the scriptures, but at least I can be a copper kettle Christian, catching the rays of the Son of God and reflecting that light to someone living in a dark corner."
In order to successfully traverse these dark nights, we must continually seek the light. Advent is a time when we take a journey from the darkness which is the absence of God to the birth of the light. Our Gospel Reading today tells us it is time to rejoice for the light, the Lord, is near. We can have total confidence, therefore, that whatever envelops us in darkness, whether it be loneliness, sickness, or death, loss of employment, or problems with faith, it can be dispelled by the coming of the light, the Prince of Peace, Jesus our Lord.
The dark night of America's history in the period of slavery and Civil War was lightened by the vision and courage of Abraham Lincoln. More recently, in South Africa the faith of two very different men, one a black freedom fighter, Nelson Mandela, and the second a courageous white politician, F. W. de Klerk, brought a new day to a great nation. As we continue our Advent journey let us cast off darkness and seek the light. It is time to rejoice; the Lord is near. Let us proclaim the great Advent anthem, "Maranatha, come Lord Jesus."