Light in the Dark

This past week two important holidays happened here.  The celebratory festivities seemed like a combination of how we celebrate Christmas and the Fourth of July--lights and fireworks.  Even though the city was lit up and popping, the underlying reason for the celebration was quite depressing.

The festival that most Bengali H.ndus celebrated was Kali Puja.  Kali is the goddess of death and destruction.  People worship out of fear so that death and destruction to not happen to them or their family. One Bengali said that during Kali Puja, people worship Darkness.  Darkness.  They worship Darkness.

Note the difference.  It isn't that what they are worshiping is dark, but they are actually worshiping the Presence of Darkness.

The biggest day of the festival was November 13, a night of full darkness since the moon is in the "new" phase.  On this night, I gathered with about 10 other believers and we sang:

"Light of the World, You stepped down into darkness.
Open their eyes let them see!
Beauty that made this heart adore You.
Hope of a life spent with Thee."

We opened G0d's Word to us and read about the Light of the World forever being our High Priest interceding for us to the Father.  We shared requests and lifted each other to the One who provided the Way out of the Dark.

All this while "crackers" were lighting up the sky and people worshiped the Presence of Darkness.

“For Gsd so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For Gsd did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of Gsd’s one and only Son.  This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through Gsd… When Áesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  John 3:16-21; 8:12

As you look at the pictures that follow, will you please lift up the millions who are walking in darkness and plead, ""Light of the World, You stepped down into darkness.  Open their eyes let them see!"

Worshiping Kali

A pundal set up to accommodate the idol of Kali and the people that will worship her.

The city lit up with lights

Lights lit for Diwali, the other H.ndu festival that was happening, signifying the triumph of good over evil.  

Firecrackers which will be set off to drive away the evil spirits