WINTER'S ANNUAL REPENTANCE

Winter’s Annual Repentance

Today, Monday December 22, 7a.m. Sitting down with my fresh cup of coffee, I tuned into a morning news program, just in time for today’s headlines. 

Within the first few minutes of this new day, words like ‘war, murder, shark attack, plane crash, debate, escalating tension, mental health, Epstein files—assaulted my psyche.

The only ‘good’ news (please note cynicism): for those who play the lottery, there is still a 1 in 292,000,000 chance to win the now $1.6 BILLION lottery jackpot.  That means consumers have spent WAY over $1.6 billion on lottery tickets.  SO, kinda 6/7 in my opinion.

When darkness in our world seems to be conquering daylight, the literal light deprivation (because of the shorter daylight hours) combined with all kinds of tragic news, wearies our souls.

BUT today, Winter Solstice marks the day that darkness waves the white flag, at least for a while.  “I GIVE UP!”

Light once again stays longer and shines brighter, little by little.  New life is emerging, even if we cannot see it yet.  Hope will not disappoint—spring and summer will arrive on many levels.

Like the extra hours of darkness in fall and winter, the darkness and sense of doom characterizing recent world events will, one day, give way to ever increasing light. Rivalry between political parties, between family members, between races, between countries, is not a forever darkness. As Light grows brighter—the Light of God increasing in the hearts and souls of people; as light spreads, the darknesses of hatred, evil, violence, will begin to diminish.

Writers of the Bible used Light as a metaphor for Jesus Christ, God’s Son. In a season of deep darkness and oppression, both in New Testament times and today—whether it be governments, or households, or workplaces.  Countries, or gangs, or homelessness.  Sickness, poverty, war, human trafficking, drug trafficking.  The evil in our midst is real.  It is dark.  But light WILL overcome it.

Galatians 4:4a
But when the right time came, God sent his Son.

John 1:9-13
 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

1 John 1:5-7
Walking in the Light
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.  If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

One day, known only to God the Father, the time will be right for ‘the Light of the world,’ Jesus, to be sent BACK to earth.  This appearing will begin a new ‘volume’ of HIS-story as He establishes a new heaven and new earth with those who received Him.

Many Church leaders and Bible scholars, sense that day is drawing close.  I agree, not only because of the ‘signs of the times’ I see happening all around, but also because God has made Himself so almost tangibly, intimately present in my day-to-day life. 

I believe He is raising the spiritual antennae of all His kids who long for His coming, even sparking a faith-seeking curiosity in the formerly disinterested younger generations. 

New reports of a growing ‘Jesus’ movement in our nation (and many others) have been numerous this year. In an article found on thegospelcoalition.org, It’s Here: Gen Z Revival Hits Campuses this Fall (Zylstra, 11/14/2025) the writer interviewed a number of ministry leaders on college campuses and churches nearby to see what they believed was happening.  Zylstra noted a number of US colleges seeing students gather in greater numbers than ever before to explore the Christian faith. Asbury Seminary in Kentucky, Doort University in Iowa, and Summit Church in Durham, North Carolina,  Michigan State, Oregon State, are some of the colleges she covered. 

Countries around the world , the UK, Brazil, Denmark, and France to name a few, report similar data, even finding that church attendance is more faithful among younger questioning generations than for the long-time ‘believers’ of older demographics.

One of the ministry leaders Zylstra interviewed stated, “I asked a group of freshman guys why they thought we were seeing a bigger response to the gospel.”

Whether they grew up in church or were new believers, the student's  answers were always similar.

“What their generation is being offered by the culture is not really fulfilling.  Christianity seems to them a legitimate opportunity that they have not tried—one that is speaking with a lot more certainty about truth.  . . .Christianity is pretty clear on ‘This is who you are.  This is what sin is.  This is how you have a relationship with God,” he said.

Another ministry leader, noted that college students, rather than seeking to debate controversial issues, are asking the important questions:  How do I know the Bible is real? Is Jesus God? How is Christianity different?
In this leader’s experience, the students are not asking questions from a combative heart, but they really want to understand.

Light is breaking through in new places and in new ways.  Is it possible that the ‘Winter of our discontent’ is undergoing a spring ‘thaw’?  As A deep spiritual awakening in individuals, in the church where I worship, and throughout the world , signal that daylight is pushing back darkness once again.  Darkness won’t give up ground easily, but this is pretty exciting.

This time of year, and especially this year, I am again moved by a quote from C.S. Lewis’s children’s fantasy book, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.  Mr. Beaver tells Lucy about Aslan, the great lion who watches over all:

“Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.”

Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

---