Happy New Year!!!!
Hearing the Call
The story goes that on the 12th day of Christmas the wise ones arrived at the stable in Bethlehem and celebrated the gift of love that they found there. In the Christian tradition this marks the beginning of Epiphany, or the season of light. Over the coming weeks we will hear how the light that was ignited with the birth of the Christ child grew. This light drew to it people from all walks of life and lives were transformed. This is a time of hearing the call of the Christ and being invited into a time of decision making. Will we follow?
Will we trust the light to guide us even in the midst of dark times or will our fear of the unknown bind us and keep us captive? Will we be open to all that the light exposes? As I think about this theme of light what comes to mind for me is that this can be frightening. You see, I like the darkness. There is something about it that for me is oddly comforting. In the dark I feel a sense of security, like being cradled in a cocoon and protected by the wall that surrounds me. The darkness is a place where I dream my most vivid dreams and a creative energy flows through me. Because I cannot see what lies beyond the darkness I am content to believe that whatever I want to be there is indeed there. However, when the light pierces the darkness everything is changed. I can see all that is there and, honestly, sometimes I don’t want to see it. I don’t want to see it because seeing means I must acknowledge its existence and with that comes times of decision.
No Way to Turn Back
When the Child became a man he shone the light into all the dark places. This light brought new insight and wonder. It created moments of grace that filled the soul but it also exposed all the things that needed to be changed or corrected. Jesus brought to light the injustices of the world and demanded that something be done.
Once the light has been turned on there really is no way to turn back – no matter how hard we try.
Once you … see the homeless person, or sit with a grieving child, or stand in line at the food bank with someone needing food; or listen to a young person cry because of the ridicule they suffer; or sit with a woman at the police station after an assault; or watch a family fall apart because there are no support systems for them; or see a brother or sister fall because of racism, or sexism, or ageism …
When the Light Shines
Once you see, the Christ leads you to stand up, speak out, risk, hold, care, feed and shine the light until there is no place left to hide and the world is transformed. As wonderful as I find the darkness I know the light to be filled with energy, hope, promise and amazing grace and it is only when the light shines that we can truly see and work for change.
Blessings
Valerie
© Rev. Valerie Peyton Kingsbury. All Rights Reserved.