Bearing the Bleak

January can be bleak.

Joyful goals, inspired resolutions, and ardent hopes for the new year become chores to do … or not to do. The triumph, light, and peace of Christmas grows — in a word — cold, as we return to the realities of a broken, violent, and uncertain world. Was it all a dream? And, of course, there’s the literal cold and ice and snow. Even the most winter-loving among us (me included) will soon grow weary of even the loveliest of snowfalls.

By what means do we bear the bleakness of such seasons, whether a typical January or some other season (or years-long era)? This Sunday, we sidestep into the gospel of John. I think there’s something about the peculiar way he tells the story of Jesus that holds a secret — and a skill — for us all.