By Doug Redford
You may be familiar with the term Seasonal Affective Disorder, usually abbreviated with the initials SAD. It’s associated primarily with locations that experience wintry weather. When the weather stays gray, cloudy, and gloomy over an extended period of time, it can affect the mood of some people and they become sad. They miss seeing the sunlight and other features of springtime. And so when spring comes, they gladly welcome more sunlight, warmer temperatures, and flowers and trees starting to bloom and bud again.
Consider another type of SAD: Sin’s Affective Disorder. This condition has nothing to do with climate or change of weather, though gloomy weather may add to the sadness that this disorder produces. This SAD can be traced to what happened in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Immediately after their act of disobedience, they knew something was wrong; what had been “very good” was now in disarray. Since Eden, every person who has entered this world has been impacted in some way by SAD; some in especially devastating ways. And this SAD doesn’t diminish with the arrival of a new season; in fact, it can make even the sunniest day seem as dark as midnight.
Perhaps it is only fitting, then, that Jesus, the Light of the world, was born at nighttime—God’s way of highlighting what Jesus’ arrival was intended to accomplish. Isaiah described his coming in these words: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:2, New International Version). John 1:3 offers this assurance: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Followers of Jesus are called “children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). Yet we must still reside in a world that continues to reel from sin’s disorder and darkness. In Jesus, however, we have found the “order” or stability that he alone can provide to help us navigate through the times when the spiritual version of SAD threatens to throw us off course.
Communion provides a time each Lord’s Day to restore order to our souls. As we partake, let us recall Jesus’ words, spoken to his disciples not long after he instituted this meal of remembrance with them: “In this world you will have trouble (or disorder). But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). We look forward to that day when “the old order (or disorder) of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
Doug Redford has served in the preaching ministry, as an editor of adult Sunday school curriculum, and as a Bible college professor. Now retired, he continues to write and speak as opportunities arise.
Contact us at cs@christianstandardmedia.com
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