Portable CMU 2020-21
Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!
2 For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you.
3 Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. (Isaiah 60)
This passage of scripture from Isaiah is often used to mark the day of Epiphany celebrated by Christians around the world on January 6. Epiphany has been celebrated since the 3rd or 4th century CE as a reminder that the purposes of Advent and Christmas have been fulfilled. Epiphany marks the high point of the Advent-Christmas season and is an experience of a sudden and striking realization. The light of Jesus has come! And the light is a light for all people! The coming of the Magi, from a distant land to Bethlehem, to worship Jesus unveils this truth.
Epiphany makes clear that the light of Jesus has come to us and that this light is not a light to be kept hidden in our church buildings, homes and hearts. The light that has come to dispel darkness is a light meant for all people and for all nations of the world.
As the pandemic continues; as cases of Covid increase through our community, across our country and around the world; as violence and unrest simmers and erupts; as health challenges increase; as mental health struggles intensify; as pressures on parents, students and teachers rise; as uncertainty continues; as the isolation of winter deepens; as “darkness covers the earth and its people”, we are reminded that we need light! The Christmas season proclaims that the glory of the Lord has risen over us, that the brightness of dawn is upon us, that the light of Jesus has come! And if this light that is Jesus is for all people and all nations then our invitation and challenge is to let it shine. Our calling is to live as people of light wherever light is needed.
As we pack away our Christmas decorations and enter into a New Year may we be reminded that the work of Christmas continues. That is true all the time but maybe especially true this year. A poem called “The Work of Christmas” composed by Howard Thurman, an African-American theologian, educator, and civil rights leader reminds us that as the Christmas season ends the work of Christmas begins.
When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with their flocks,
the work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal the broken,
to feed the hungry,
to release the prisoner,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among the people,
to make music in the heart.
Our communities, our nation and our world, more than needing churches that defiantly insist on gathering in a building on their own terms, need a people of God who scatter under the direction of God’s Spirit to shine the light of Jesus in their homes, schools, neighbourhoods, and places of work. Our communities and our world need followers of Jesus who will commit again in 2021 to be the church, to be the light, to be people of healing and hope who extend God’s love wherever they are and wherever they go! How is God inviting you to be the light?
As we each shine our light we will discover that increasing light comes back to us too!
Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!
May you receive the light of Jesus! And may you share it where it is needed right now!
Pastor Ray