Isaiah 9:2; the 400 “silent years” between the OT and NT when Alexander the Great was wreaking havoc; John 1:1-5; A well-worn adage from the 1600s declares that it’s always the darkest just before the dawn. Christmas is a celebration of light: Lights are strung everywhere both indoors and out. If you’ve ever wondered why, it’s because Jesus, the light of the world, pierced the darkness of our world, making it possible for us to see clearly enough to escape one world and move into the next. Jesus broke through the 400 years of silence; and God had been preparing for this for a long time; see also Galatians 4:3-5. The listener who feels that he or she is in “the silent years with God” needs to be patient and wait, knowing that God is preparing something awesome.