Welcome to a Season of Light!

As the days get shorter and nights grow longer,
As our hectic schedules seem to make us more disconnected from those we love,
As the world seems to grow darker with each report of a mass shooting or threat of war,
We remember that Jesus Christ is the light of our world, the light in our darkness.

This Advent and Christmas, the people of Peace Lutheran Church are celebrating a “Season of Light,” celebrating the places where God is shining light into our darkness. Each day we’ll post a new reflection. Sign up with your email to receive daily notifications of new posts, and feel free to share this blog widely with friends.

 

Monday, December 25

Merry Christmas!  Thanks for taking this Advent journey with us!

We close our devotions with a reflection shared by Vicar Melissa at her 5pm Christmas Eve sermon.

If you came to this place expecting a tame story,
you came to the wrong place.

If you came for a story that does not
threaten you,
you came for a different story than the one
we tell.

If you came to hear of the coming of a God
who only showed up so that you could have a
nice day
with your loved ones,
then you came for a God whom we do not
worship here.

For even a regular baby is not a tame thing.
And goodness that cannot threaten complacency
and evil
is not much good at all,
And a God who would choose to give up power
and invincibility
to become an infant for you,
certainly didn’t do it just so you could have dinner.

But.

If you came because you think unwed teenage mothers
are some of the strongest people in the world.

If you came because you think that the kind of people who work third
shift doing stuff you’d rather not do might attract an angel’s
attention before you, snoring comfortably in your bed, would.

If you came because you think there are wise men and women to be
found among undocumented travelers from far lands and
that they might be able to show you God.

If you came to hear a story of tyrants trembling
while heaven comes to peasants.

If you came because you believe that God loves the animals
as much as the people
and so made them the first witnesses to the saving of the world.

If you came for a story of reversals
that might end up reversing you.

If you came for a tale of adventure and bravery,
where strong and gentle people win,
and the powerful and violent go down to dust,
where the rich lose their money but find their lives
and the poor are raised up like kings.

If you came to be reminded that God loves you too much
to leave you unchanged.

If you came to follow the light even if it blinds you.

If you came for salvation and not safety,
then, ah, my friends,
you are precisely in the right place.

So what are you here for?

– Quinn G. Caldwell, All I Really Want
(shared by Urban Abbey UMC, Omaha)

Saturday, December 23

Read Revelation 21:23-25.

One of the least discussed Christmas traditions in my family was the Christmas Tree Lights Fight Disagreement my mom and dad had every season. Instead of the smooth wrapping and instant all-lit bulbs it was always a rough tangled beginning with various bulbs being out along the strands and endless comments concerning closed and open electrical circuits. My brother and I did our best to be far from the living room. But once done, we re-gathered, decorated, told the same stories of the same ornaments and then there was quiet. And a great Light that we sat in for 28 days or so.

“And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.”

John’s Revelation true purpose is not a magic 8 ball predictor of the end of time, it’s “a pastoral letter meant to sustain the suffering and hearten the weary faithful. John’s vision reveals that, in God’s eternity, the battle has been won, the battle is raging still, and the battle will be won.” (Virginia Stem Owens)

Odd as it may seem, those words made me think of the family story above. Raging control over decorating giving way to quiet and Light. A simple transformation of chaos and ego into peace and awe. A very small picture of what God has promised on a much grander physical, spiritual, and time scale.

It’s a hard season for me, Benjamin, and my family as my dad passed away a few weeks ago. It is a hard time for this community right now and for those who are ill, lost, and struggling. It is a hard time for this country right now. It is a hard time for our earth, the children in this world, and for those in areas of violence, hunger, and war.

Yet, Revelation 21:6 says, “It is done”. The transformation of the suffering, of stiff-necked, hard-hearted disobedient people into God-perfected people. Within the Light and Glory of God. The earth and heaven united, renewed. The Alpha and the Omega.

In John’s vision, we read the end of the story before it is finished and about the Divine Coherence between the beginning and the ending that’s been there all along. Not a magic 8 ball to vanquish suffering. But a reminder of God’s Promise. Of Jesus, a light to the nation. This Light is the Hope of all Nations. Until the time when the nations will walk by Light.

Father, I pray for those searching for your Light in this season. I pray for those who struggle with the sounds of joy and rejoicing as it drowns out the silent listening for the voices no longer here.

Fill us with your Peace. May your presence be felt in the hope that Christmas reminds us of. Help us to make room in our weary hearts for the Love and Light that is born, renewed, into this world and in us.   Amen.

Laura McAfee

Friday, December 22

Read 1 John 1:5.

I have to say that Advent Devotions for last year were for me much easier to write than this year. Last year’s theme was “Songs of Advent”, a very joyful and upbeat theme. The theme this year was “Season of Light” which in itself sounds joyful but we were asked to write about places we see God shining light in the dark places of our lives as we prepare for the Light of the World. To do that we must first allow ourselves to sink back into those dark places and then allow the power of God through prayer and faith to pull us back out of the darkness and into the light.

We all have dark places in life such as a child struggling in school, threat of job loss due to employer merging or downsizing, a close relative or friend being diagnosed with aggressive terminal cancer, a family break-up, etc. My latest challenge in life was just this past summer when an allergic reaction to a bee sting led to blood tests to check for allergies which then led to a higher than normal count of a certain type of white blood cell. The diagnosis for this ranged from “not a problem but check from time to time” to incurable leukemia, so the several weeks waiting for bone marrow biopsy could have been very stressful. Fortunately I think my faith at this time in my life is stronger than it ever has been (and I thank God for this) and my approach to this issue was: Lord, if it’s your will give me more healthy years, but it’s totally in your hands and your will be done.

1 John 1:5 tells us “In God there is no darkness”. God’s shining light is available to each of us in every dark moment of our lives, we just have to open our eyes through faith and prayer to see it and use it.

We are ever so blessed and should be ever so thankful to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the shining light. Let us close with a short prayer: Lord thank you for making your shining light available to us and we pray that your Holy Spirit would guide us from the darkness in our lives to your shining light. We pray in the name of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Dan Guengerich

 

Thursday, December 21

Read 1 Peter 2:9-10.

I love the growing dark that takes place in the winter Advent season. The increased dark slows me down and offers a more contemplative time. The long night amplifies the celebratory lights of the Christmas season. Because of the dark, the lights seem brighter, more vibrant, and more essential. The light of the fire, candles, and decorative display are all the more precious as they work to push back the heavy darkness.

As Christian believers we are chosen by God to be His light in the world. God is the source of light and goodness and we are called to spread that light among a world of darkness. The glory of God’s light is all the more powerful in contrast to the surrounding darkness of the world. Christ is that light on earth, and we are to be so, too.

We are set apart by God, claimed by Him and charged by Him to bring light to the world, to be the precious source of light that pushes back the darkness. Followers of Christ don’t fear the dark or dread the long night, rather we are an active priesthood distinct and separate from the world. We take action in the world, providing God’s gift of light through our talents with those around us.

We are the people of God’s delight, his special and peculiar people. In this season and every season, in this place and every place, we are commanded to be a conduit of God’s goodness. We are eager and joyful to be Christ-like in our behavior and to live the virtues that illuminate.

Bill Mueller

 

Wednesday, December 20

Read Ephesians 5:8-9.

To many it will come as no surprise that I chose a scripture referencing children. I anticipated that I could readily write a devotion about living as children of light; what could be more natural for me than holding up a mirror to the beauty and radiance of a child’s heart? But sometimes that which seems easy at first can turn out to be a far more challenging task, as did writing this devotional. And maybe that has something to do with the reality that, as simple and clear as the words of this scripture passage are, it’s not always that easy to “live as children of light”, especially when we are surrounded by darkness in our world or our own struggling hearts.

When our family attended our first Christmas Eve service at Peace six years ago, I remember looking up in wonder at the domed skylight as all the candles were lit, and trying to discern which of the many twinkling lights was my own by moving my candle back and forth. Because of the laws of refraction and reflection in concave and convex surfaces that I can never quite keep straight, I slowly realized that I couldn’t find my own light by just looking directly above me. When I caught glimpse of a moving light on another part of the dome I still couldn’t be sure it was my own, because others in the congregation–especially children and children at heart–were trying to do the same. I finally settled with simply acknowledging that it was a beautiful sight, and that my reflected light was up there somewhere amidst all the others.

In each year since, from my vantage point in the praise band, I have loved the Christmas Eve lighting of the candles and watching others as they, too, look up to discover the beautiful mass of dancing lights above us. I delight in seeing children and others point upwards as they try to find their own reflecting light. I know it will happen again this Christmas Eve, and the thought of sharing our lights together in this way brings with it a sense of joy. I am reminded that the birth of Jesus, on that darkest of nights, is the ultimate gift of joy and light to our world and our hearts.

Maybe that moment of looking up at the lights on the night of Jesus’ birth –and knowing that the tiny flicker of our own candle is reflected in the midst of so many others and in the heavens beyond–can remind us of the light that is within each of us, even when we can’t see it ourselves. And maybe that merely being children of God we are also children of light and we are called to embrace that light and shine it as a gift from God, as best we can even in our own moments of darkness.

Coming back to my thoughts about children and light, of course, brings me to think about songs that inspire our hearts and ways of living–yet another “no surprise” to many.  This recording of the great Odetta singing This Little Light of Mine begins with beautiful words by Marianne Williamson. I share it as a prayer of hope and light during this Advent season, and anticipate with joy lifting up our lights together on Christmas Eve.

ElizaBeth McCay

Tuesday, December 19

Read Romans 13: 11-12a.

This certainly sounds to me like an urgent appeal from Paul to us.  Hallelujah, Praise the Lord!  It IS an appeal to wake up you sleep heads!  Advent is our time to prepare for the great feast of Christmas. The wait is over and the day is almost here.  Other “a” words for Advent like alive, alert or attentive also give meaning to us in our preparation for His coming.  We must now Trust that He will indeed come again, and the point is, we must be ready.  All is in readiness.  “Come, Lord Jesus” is our call for hope into our future with Him.  So my question to you is….what expectations or life demands can you let go of so that you can be prepared for the coming of Jesus?

 

Prayer….

Come, Lord Jesus!  Come to us in our anxious and suffering world.  Let us heed this urgent appeal of trust and hope offered through the ages, and may our hope of one day being with you prepare us now for your coming. Amen.       

Peggy Bizjak

Monday, December 18

Read John 12:35-36.

This season is a curious one in our culture. We are reminded of how much we don’t have and that we should do what we can to fulfill those desires. Yet, at the same time we are reminded of how blessed we truly are and that we should share our abundance with others.

We seem to live in this juxtaposition trying desperately to figure out which realm we live in. Are we the givers? Are we the recipients? According to Jesus, we are both. He reminds us that, “The light is with you a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness does not take over.”

Jesus asks us to be present and walk with him while we can, all the while knowing that the darkness- our needs and our sorrows- are an ever present component of the human condition. It is our connection to Jesus, to the Light, that can overcome our own personal darkness.

Lord, your word is enduring and your promises come to fulfillment. In our times of darkness, fear and desolation, let us remember that we are Yours. We are children of the Light.

Alli Beck

Saturday, December 16

Read John 8:12.

Flashlight, tail light, starlight…….memories of times when I’ve experienced being thrust into darkness and then being guided by the illumination of a light.

Flashlight.  I’m sure each of you, just like me, has experienced a time when the power went out in the evening and there you were in utter darkness.  Reaching for the flashlight and breathing a sigh of relief when you turn it on and, yes, you remembered to change the batteries!  You make your way through dark rooms guided by your trusty flashlight.  Thank you, God!  What’s this got to do with Advent?

Tail lights.  There Peggy Bizjak and I were on our way to visit Binns-Counts one late Fall evening when around Roanoke we were suddenly caught in a terrible storm with torrents of rain pounding the windshield.  I was driving and couldn’t see any markings on the road.  Right in front of us was an 18 wheeler with its tail lights blazing a trail for me to follow.  That truck guided us all the way until we were safely out of the storm.  Thank you, God!  What’s this got to do with Advent?

Starlight.  There I was on a beach on the Big Island of Hawaii before so many resorts had popped up.  It was night time and it was pitch black.  When I looked up, I saw that the sky was filled with lights….stars so many it took my breath away.  Thank you, God!  What’s this got to do with Advent?

Jesus said, I am the light of the world.  What did He mean?  Before He came, the world was in darkness…searching for light.  Many thought the Messiah would come with pomp and glory and everything would suddenly be all right in a world that was anything but all right.  Little did anyone know that His Iight would shine into every dark corner wherever His children are: being enslaved, mistreated, displaced; are suffering from poverty, loss, or sadness; are experiencing physical, mental, or emotional distress. I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.  He is calling US to walk boldly into the darkness and shine the light of His love and hope on our families, friends, neighbors, and strangers near and far.  Flashlight, tail light, starlight, Sonlight.

Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus.  Light the way!

Here’s a song I’d like to share with you as you reflect on today’s devotion.  Listen to Lauren Daigle’s rendition of “Light of the World” on YouTube.

Barbara Price

 

Friday, December 15

Read Luke 11:33-36.

The idea of the eyes being a lamp of our body intrigues me. As an optometrist, I think about eyes and vision every day at work, and even when I am not at work I am ever mindful and grateful for the blessing of sight. It is estimated that 85% of our perception, learning, cognition, and activities are guided by our sense of sight. What would we do without it? I have seen patients losing their eyesight, entering into darkness, and it is a scary thing. Luckily, in the majority of cases there are treatments: lenses, surgeries, even transplants, can restore vision and bring our world back into focus.

Our text says that “When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light.” Of course, Luke is talking about our spiritual eyesight. He knows we can relate to our dependence on our physical eyesight as our most important sense and maybe even our fear of what our world would be like without it. When we see our world through the lens of Christ, with healthy eyes, we see the world as God intended. We see our place in the world and we see others in a different light: God’s light. The text also says, “Your eye is the lamp of your body” and “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl.” If God has given us spiritual sight, we should not walk through life with blinders on; our spiritual eyes should be open to the world around us, the people around us. If our spiritual eyes are open and they provide God’s light to us, the darkness that exists in this world will not overcome the light.

Luke then tells us to be careful: “See to it that the light within you is not darkness.” We must actively keep our spiritual eyes healthy by knowing God’s Word and Christ’s leading so we see the world through God’s lenses. The clarity of God’s world can often be distorted or dimmed by the distractions and darkness in our world. We are to stay focused on Christ. When we do this, our body will be full of light, and we can shine that light on others.

God’s light is the glory our eyes were made to see. That light alone will fill us and give the light of life and meaning to every part of our lives. When that happens, we ourselves will shine and give off the rays of Christ to others, illuminating the world. That is our hope.

Prayer: Lord God, open the eyes of our hearts to see the light that is your wisdom, power, and love. Make our eyes strong and heal our blindness. Fill us with the light of your presence and help us to reflect that light into the world. Amen.

Sue Mueller

Thursday, December 14

Read Mark 4: 21.

Jesus says his followers (we) are God’s light for the world, to show the world true life. Often we don’t want to be his light, so we hide under our “basket” of complacency or anger or embarrassment or disobedience. Maybe we even think our personal “light” is so small and insignificant it wouldn’t be seen anyway.

In our world full of darkness, even a small light shines a long way. I heard once that the light of a single candle can be seen from a distance of ten football fields. Wow!

Several years ago during a trip to Israel, our group toured a holocaust museum which featured a large room devoted to the memory of the children who had died. It was full of hundreds (thousands?) of small mirrors each reflecting a light such that the entire room was brightly awash in light. We were amazed to learn that all of that light was the multiple reflections of four small candles.

I think God wants each of us to be like one of those little mirrors. I think he wants each of us to reflect the life of service that Jesus lived, and when each of our little mirrors reflects the light of someone else’s little mirror the cumulative effect is a world full of light.

“I used to be afraid of the darkness … then I realized that I am the light and the darkness is afraid of me.”

Prayer:
Lord you made us to be your light to the world. Give us the courage to shine forth and show the world that in you is true life. Amen.

David Poole