I Believe Even When

The story of human history is replete with success and failure, joy and anguish, pleasure and pain. The most painful chapters seem to come when fear leads to oppression and violence of one people against another. This is the world into which Jesus was born, and through which his teachings would challenge and call for transformation. The opening words of an anonymous Jewish poet, “I believe in the sun, even when the sun is not shining,” were scrawled on a wall during the Holocaust.

Using this as a theme for our season calls us to examine our penchant for trying to destroy fear by attacking each other. The powers of story and music call us to a different response–transformation and reconciliation through hope, love, peace, and joy. This Advent and Christmas, let us fill the night with music and light, and act on the reasons why we can still “believe, even when” we are discouraged. 

I believe in the sun, even when it's not shining
I believe in love, even when I don't feel it
I believe in God, even when God is silent