Last night, I went to see the new Hobbit film. One thing came through strongly. Light and darkness were at war. At one point I thought they were quoting a Bible verse.

This year I was at the ‘Light up a Life’ service at the Hospice at Clatterbridge. If you’ve never been, it’s powerful as hundreds of people come to remember loved ones and support the hospice’s future.

The lights coming on outside in a dark winter’s night made me think about the same Bible verse – “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has never overcome it.”

Darkness comes in different ways, death and the fear of death, as well as messing up this life.

Many church groups run food banks. Wondering about feeding your family is a darkness we thought we had said goodbye to in this country a long time ago, but it’s back.

Jesus is the light that has come into the world, and the darkness will never overcome the light because he went to the darkest place for the darkest of reasons and that darkness, though he died because of it, didn’t defeat him because he rose again, and will raise us up as we put our trust in him.

And the light he gives us we can pass around.

I heard three women speak about their experience of the food bank in Ellesmere Port and how they had found help and hope through three other women being light to them.

May Christmas bring you the light and hope of Jesus Christ.

Whatever happens in the films, in reality, the darkness has not overcome him, nor ever will.