“The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world…the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1)
It’s challenging to wake up in the dark these days! I much prefer warm bright summer bird-noisy alarms than the one I have to set now. The cold and dreary winter skies seem to do their level best to conspire against the light. What I’m grateful for is that my waking eyes face east, for me to notice that even on most of these dark and dreary days, the rising sun’s light somehow wins the battle for a brief time, over the great lake, before it’s shut out again. The light shines in the darkness, and colors up the sky, ever so briefly. Our feast of Epiphany begins tomorrow, January 6.
Light is the Church’s theme in January, in the darkest days of the year, for a brief time between Christmas and Lent. Epiphany is its name, and the words means, a revealing, a sudden manifestation. It begins with the starlight leading the Magi to the manger, ramps up with the baptism and temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, illuminates scenes of Jesus’ ministry, and concludes with his transfigured moment of blazing glory. The resounding message of the ministry of Jesus is the inclusion of the Gentiles as God’s people, chosen for love and grace, salvation’s wonder. It’s a gift to us who live in the darkness, captured by Walter Brueggemann in his prayer/poem, Epiphany:
On Epiphany day,
We are still the people walking, still people in the dark,
And the darkness looms large around us,
Beset as we are by anxiety, brutality, violence, loss—
A dozen alienations that we cannot manage.
We are – we could be – people of your light.
So we pray for the light of your glorious presence
As we wait for your appearing.
We pray for the light of your wondrous grace
As we exhaust our coping capacity;
We pray for the gift of newness
that will override our weariness;
We pray that we will see and know and hear and trust
In your good rule,
That we may have energy, courage and freedom
To enact your rule through the demands of this day.
We submit our day to you and to your rule,
With deep joy and high hope.
Dark shines the light. Looking forward to worship in the blessed community where the Spirit comes to remind us it is so!
Love from Here — Peter Hawkinson
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