On Faith: Christmas season is not all happiness and light

What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

~ John 1:3-5

As the autumn wanes and gives way to winter we enter a season of dying light. The days get colder and the nights grow longer. The church year shifts as well, to the season of Advent. To be sure, Advent is a time that looks toward the celebration of the incarnation of God becoming flesh in the baby in Bethlehem. However, at its core, Advent is also a season of deep longing for wholeness and peace in the world and within ourselve...