Author: lakewooducc

The Light Still Shines. This has been our theme for this Advent season and for these daily devotions. At Christmas we celebrate the coming of the light of the world. We celebrate Jesus as a manifestation of Divine light.

We have explored how that light helps us to see the truth of our circumstances. It illuminates how things really are even when we don’t like what we see. We have thought about how the light invites us to change direction, turn, repent and live in a way more consistent with the intentions of God and the teachings of Jesus. We have examined the transformation needed for our well-being and the well-being of the world and the toll taken by avoiding change. We have considered the call to self giving and the need to keep at bay the lure of greed, selfishness, and arrogance. We have thought about how Jesus is a messenger telling us all that we need to know for the living of our days. We have sought out the way of Jesus, a way of compassion and joy.

Receiving the Light of the World requires soul searching and brutal honesty. It is an invitation to transformation when for the most part we don’t like change. But the result of committing to the way of Jesus, to following his light, is life. It is full, abundant life for ourselves. For others. And for Earth. It is peace and security that the world cannot take away.

Santa won’t have that in his sack. He won’t leave a package with that wrapped under the tree. He won’t stuff that in your stocking even if you are on the “nice” list.

Prayer: May we open ourselves to receiving the gifts that Jesus seeks to give us. Amen.

Don’t forget to bring your donation can for The Micah Center to the Christmas Eve Service. Music begins at 6:30 p.m. and the service starts at 7:00.

The Light still shines. And in our dark days, we need it. Looking at the newspaper has become scary. I find I am only looking at about half of my emails from organizations and movements. I don’t have NPR on much. The brevity of Twitter seems bearable. I find that I just can’t take all the darkness in the news, especially our national news these days.

Personally, I have a great life and I am not complaining about family, job, home, etc. Well, not much anyway. But despite the candles, cards, and carols, I can’t say that I feel much in the “Christmas spirit.”

In their book, The First Christmas, John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg have this to say about light:

Like much of the Bible’s language, the imagery of light is both personal and political. The contrasts between darkness and light are correlated with other central contrasts: bondage and liberation, exile and return, injustice and justice, violence and peace, falsehood and truth, death and life. These contrasts all have a personal meaning as well as a political meaning. It is important to see both. . . Too see only the personal meaning is to miss half of their meaning.

Yes, it is important for us to see the Light of Christ in personal and political terms. And, perhaps, this year, more than most, we need the political, though it may be just what we think we want to avoid. Maybe by avoiding the political implications of the teachings of Jesus, we are only letting in part of the light, we are restricting the full shining of the light, we are not opening ourselves fully to the Light of the World.

So many people in this country and around the world are celebrating Christmas – the birth of Jesus, the Light of the World. His light brings liberation, community, justice, peace, truth, and life. If everyone knew that, I wonder how many would still celebrate Christmas? It’s really a radical, subversive, counter-culture revolution. Truly honoring Christmas and the coming of the Light of the World is about setting the world on fire. Maybe if I open myself more to the political imagery of light, I will start to feel more of the Christmas spirit.

Prayer: May we welcome the Light of the Divine and let it show us the way. Amen.

In your journal, reflect on how you see the light of Christ in your personal life and in society at large. Where is the light needed now?

There is still time to put more donation money into your can for the Micah Center. Won’t it be great to hear all that change clanking at the Christmas Eve service? Our giving to The Micah Center is both personal and political – we are helping individual students and we are working to remedy the injustice of the education system.

In comics there is the symbol of the light bulb above a character’s head to show they have a bright idea. Lightening strikes and there is a huge, bright flash. We flip a switch and a room lights up. In many of the ways we think of light, the illumination is immediate. A stage was dark and then suddenly it is lit.

When we think of our faith shining light, it is often a more subtle, incremental, evolutionary process. It can be an abrupt transformation. But more typically, the light of faith “works” on us over the process of our lives and when we look back we see that we have been changing and being transformed.

Also, when we think of shining our light, as in “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,” the change created may be very slow and gradual. We may not see drastic transformation and receive immediate gratification from our good works. We may be doing good and impacting lives but the world still seems to be going on as is. We may be addressing ourselves to systemic change and advocacy, but not seem to see any wins. Change can be extremely slow when it comes to institutions and society. The fact is, we may be serving others and the world in a dedicated manner and never really see much of the fruits of our labors. Maybe we get a “thank you” here or there, but we may not see any real change.

That is how it is with light. Yes, it can be drastic and dramatic. But it can also be slow and emergent. Here we may think of dawn or twilight. The change in light is gradual, subtle, and slow. We may not even notice that change is happening – until we realize, “Oh, it’s day time.” Or, “Oh, it’s dark outside.” We may not see the effects of the light in our lives or in the world in dramatic ways on a regular basis. Sometimes we have to look carefully, attune ourselves to minute shifts, take a long view.

So don’t be discouraged if you don’t see your faith producing sudden, dramatic change in your life, the lives of others, or the world. The light sometimes creeps in, virtually unnoticed.

Prayer: May we welcome the Light of the Divine and let it show us the way. Amen.

In your journal, think about how the Light has created change in your life over time.

Sometimes students improve slowly. Help the students at The Micah Center with your donation.

Today is the shortest day of the year for the Northern Hemisphere. There will be the fewest hours of daylight and the most hours of darkness on this day for half the planet.

Though we won’t see much sunshine, the sun is still there in space, blazing. When the stars are obscured by clouds, snow, fog, or rain, they are still out there in the great beyond shining. When we don’t see many stars due to urban light pollution there are still millions upon millions of stars beaming out in the cosmos. When buildings, trees, or other vegetation shield the light from the sun or other stars, they are still there burning brightly whether we see them clearly or not.

This helps to remind us that there may be things that obscure the Light of the Divine, but it is still shining. It is shining in us. It is shining in others. It is shining in the world. It is blazing through the universe. Whether we see it or not.

If we don’t feel like we are seeing the Light, or if the Light seems dim, we need to examine what is obscuring the Light. And then we want to remove those impediments to our experiencing the full, bright, shine of the Divine for we need that Light to help us make our way. The Light gives us direction for navigating the complexities of our time. The Light is a source of much-needed hope. The Light dispels the all-too-prevalent fear around us. And the Light empowers us to shine in our family, community, and society illuminating the world!

So, take the opportunity this Winter Solstice to reflect on what, if anything, is obscuring the Light in you and around you.

Prayer: May we welcome the Light of the Divine and let it show us the way. Amen.

School is out. Students and teachers are getting a break. Hopefully they will return to school refreshed. Your donations to The Micah Center will help the students succeed in the new semester.

Alexander Von Humboldt was one of the most amazing thinkers of the 19th century. He combined a keen scientific sensibility with a deep poetic sensibility. He intimately, exhaustively studied nature, but he was also moved by nature and in awe of the world around him.

On one expedition, he writes about the influence of a lone palm tree. It is a wind block. The tree with its fruit and leaves attracts birds. Sand builds up around the base of the tree. The soil on the side of the tree away from the wind retains moisture long after the rainy season. Insects and worms, scarce elsewhere, accumulate in the moist soil. One tree has a big impact upon its surroundings. [See Humboldt’s Cosmos, Gerard Helferich, p. 185]

This assessment of the impact of a palm tree, not likely to even be noticed, helps us to see the influence we may have when we shine the light of Divine universal love. When we shine the light, we may be having an influence in many ways. We may be subtly or not so subtly affecting the circumstances around us. We may be creating networks of people and projects. We may be offering protection. We may be helping others. We may be offering encouragement that is needed. There are so many ways we may be influencing things around us when we shine the light – improving the world around us and making things better for others. And we may have no awareness of the effect we are having. We may never know.

This Advent season is also a time to think about how others have been a light for us. Each one of us has received inspiration, encouragement, and support from others who are shining the light for us.

As we approach Christmas and the celebration of the birth of Jesus, we reflect on the ways his light changes the world. We also trust that when we shine the light, we, too, are changing the world. The light still shines!

Prayer: May we welcome the Light of the Divine and let it show us the way. Amen.

You may want to note in your journal something you have done which has changed the world because you HAVE changed the world!

The Micah Center is shining the light of support for students. Don’t forget to put some money in your can today.