O God,
What if you are more a verb than a noun.
More an action than a being.
And what if the same is true about Advent
As we begin that journey to Christmas.
Then, maybe instead of Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas
This becomes our wish for ourselves, each other and the world in which we live.
To be peace.
To be hope.
To be light.
To be God with us.
What if, O God…
Be Light: A Prayer
O God, you call us together
That we might find strength and hope and direction with and from one another.
Then You throw open the doors
And send us out to be Your people and Your presence
In the world You continue to love so much.
To be…
Light in the midst of darkness.
Hope in the face of despair.
Compassion where the harshness of life overwhelms.
May we continue to strive to do just that
As we do our best to follow in the way and the spirit of Jesus.
Amen.
Candles in the Windows
Advent, the four Sundays which precede Christmas, officially begins this coming Sunday. It is late this year. Often it begins the Sunday after Thanksgiving. One of our Advent/Christmas traditions is to place candles (electric) in the upstairs windows of our house and in the copula/widows watch on the top of our house. In the historic Village in which we live, the simple candles in the windows of a 150+ year old house looks beautiful. This year I couldn’t wait for this coming Sunday. So yesterday afternoon I pulled down the stairs that lead to the attic and the copula and placed my candles in those highest windows. I will add the other candles this evening. A simple, single light in each window.
Maybe that is the best I can do.
Maybe that is what I am to do.
Place a simple candle in the window of my life.
I cannot completely undo the darkness which seems to press in from all sides.
The “big” darkness.
Inequality.
Racism.
Elitism.
The myth of redemptive violence.
Or, the more subtle darkness.
Greed.
Arrogance.
I deserve it.
Mine.
But to find a way each day to add a simple light to whatever window I have or that my life might be.
I can do that.
This Little Light of Mine
This reminder from the insight and wisdom of JK Rowlings.
(Do you recognize her name?)
She writes:
“We’ve all got both light and dark inside us.
What matters is the part we choose to act on.
That’s who we really are.”
And, this reminder from Jesus…
You are the light of the world.
It is so simple.
And, so hard at the very same time.
When you are kind to another
You are the light of the world.
When you stand up for what you know to be right
You are the light of the world.
When you feed someone who is hungry
You are the light of the world.
When you smile at a stranger
You are the light of the world.
When you walk humbly with your God
You are the light of the world.
When you treat another the way you would like to be treated
You are the light of the world.
When you treat another the way they would like to be treated
You are the light of the world.
When you extend hospitality
You are the light of the world.
When you build a longer table rather than a higher wall
You are the light of the world.
When you see God in the eyes of another
You are the light of the world.
When you see God in your own hands and face
You are the light of the world.
When your words heal
You are the light of the world.
When your vision of tomorrow matches the Dream of God
You are the light of the world.
When your vision of tomorrow drives your actions today
You are the light of the world.
When you claim your calling as a child of God
You are the light of the world.
When you include those Jesus named as the least of these
You are the light of the world.
When you sow seeds of hope
You are the light of the world.
When you build up rather than tear down
You are the light of the world.
When you seek justice and resist evil
You are the light of the world.
When you reach out your hand
You are the light of the world.
When love wins
You are the light of the world.
When the Bread of Life becomes intertwined with your life
You are the light of the world.
When you understand you are the Cup of Blessing
You are the light of the world.
This little light mine I’m going to let it shine.
What About Jesus?
While on vacation my wife and I were walking through a store which featured beautiful hand made craft objects from around the world. Many of them made by cooperatives or micro-enterprises in underdeveloped countries. As we walked through the shop I saw a small plaque with a quote by Buddha and then another with a quote by Rumi. Both were wonderful, thought provoking quotes which caused me to pause and to reflect on what was being communicated and what it meant for my life. But I walked out of the store wondering. Would a store like that ever display in the same way a quote by Jesus of Nazareth? Maybe something like this.
Be compassionate as God is compassionate.
You are the light of the world.
Treat others as you would like them to treat you.
And, if the store did, would people pause and ponder like I did reading the quotes by Buddha and Rumi or would they walk past not seeing or thinking about what was being said? I think for many the words of Jesus have become so watered down by a cultural Christianity or tainted by the abuse and misuse of the Church that we (and others) are no longer caught off guard by the power and challenge of his words.
I wonder…
Maybe we need to take the words of Jesus away from the church and put them on the shelves of the stores.