As our journey through advent continues, stories from Syria, Iraq and many less-noticed parts of the world sadden and disturb us. People remain the victims of war, conflict and oppression. Attitudes of hatred and division give way to acts of violence and persecution, causing many to flee to places of safety, bringing with them stories of indescribable cruelty and abuse. Yet all too often they are met with attitudes of indifference. Perceived as a threat, their plight fuels demands for more controlled borders to stem their migrant flow. But those who seek the light of Christ in the midst of this darkness, remember and declare that love will always overcome evil and that when these things are passed, love will remain.
Another flame defies the darkness
In a world where narratives of division and self-interest still echo;
Though wars rage, innocents mourn and people are displaced
Love’s light will never be extinguished.
Love declared by prophets and poets
Became flesh, to place eternity within our grasp
A love from which no earthly circumstance can separate us
A love beyond words, beyond time, beyond measure.
And even though hatred may still linger,
We will not walk in its shadow.
We embrace God’s call to love even those who would be our enemy
To declare a neighbour of those that some would call stranger.
For one day the darkness will be finally dispelled
And in its wake, love will forever prevail
And while we wait, our hope is renewed
By love’s enduring power and example.
© 2016 North Western Baptist Association
