Global Darkness

The headline caught my eye.  “On Dec. 6, a Minute of Global Darkness”

At 19:56 UTC on December 6, approximately nine of every ten people will at the same moment be in darkness. At that moment of this year, the greatest number of people will live in locations experiencing nighttime.  After hearing that 99% of the world’s population had sunlight at 11:15 UTC on July 8, the authors compared the data to determine the greatest number of people who will simultaneously experience darkness.  They estimate that it will include 85.92% of the world’s population.

There was a time when an even greater number of people were in darkness. It included everyone. It was the time before Jesus came to be our Saviour, when everyone was trapped in spiritual darkness.

We sing about it in the Christmas carol, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”  The third verse includes the for the Saviour to “drive away the shades of night, and pierce the clouds and bring us light.”

Matthew 4:16 tells us that when Jesus began to preach, it fulfilled the 700 year-old prophecy by Isaiah:

“the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light.
And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,
a light has shined.”

Jesus is the Light that shines, banishing the darkness.  Will you join us in praying that during the Christmas season this year, people will welcome Jesus to be Light in their lives.  And may we be aware of the light of His presence in both planned and unplanned activities.

Praise and Prayer

• Praise the Lord for the successful children’s activity at Baozhong Alliance Church this past weekend.  Please pray that the elementary students will remember both the fun of interacting with their teachers and also the truths that were taught to them.
• Please pray for Kathy-Lu’s recovery from a rebound infection of Covid.  As we trust God to bring healing.  We also trust Him to comfort with his peace.
• Please pray for Lorne as he prepares to tell the Christmas story and lead interactive learning activities at seven classes at an English Cram School (English tutorial school). Different classes need materials appropriate to their age level.