I love to read the best selling novels of the day. I don’t have much time for pleasure reading, so I tend to read novels at night before I go to sleep. Some nights I only read a page or two and fall asleep, so it takes me a long time to finish a book. Sometimes I cheat and read the last few pages of the book to see how it turns out in the end. Knowing the end I don’t get discouraged and frustrated that it takes me so long to read the book. I know that is weird, but then everyone has some weird things they do. It is interesting that John, in his story of Jesus, saves us the trouble of flipping to the end of the book. He wrote his Gospel years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. He tells us up front how it all turns out. He wrote, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” The darkness doesn’t win. That is the end of the book. No matter how dark it gets, the darkness can never put out the light that God brings. No matter what darkness we face, Jesus has already defeated it and already conquered it. The good news of Christmas and Easter is that Jesus has defeated the darkness. That is the end of the story. Darkness does not win. Live with that encouragement. Where God is there will always be light, and no matter how dark it gets.
– Dr. Tim Thompson