Advent Day 12: ALL People

By


John 1:1-8;
Isaiah 40:5;
Matthew 5:14-16



“In him was life, and that life was the light of ALL humankind.” ~John 1:4

The angel said, "...I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” ~Luke 2:10

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” ~John 3:16



Let It Shine
by Shannon Vianello 

I love the imagery of the Light shining into the dark places as it relates to Advent.   It is a very natural and habitual movement to click a lamp on, turn headlights on, increase the brightness on a phone, find a flashlight, flip the light switch before going into a room, etc.  We look for light in dark places to function well and move forward.  We seek the light out to feel safe and secure that if we are in unfamiliar territory surely the light will save us from an unwanted situation.

Recently I was reading a facebook post about how sad it was that Tuscawilla Park still isn't up to par.  They felt that even with all of the money they have invested in it,  there are still "unsafe and strange" people that continue to loiter. This particular person felt that there was no way they could bring their children to this park because of those reasons. Many people agreed and backed up this statement but then one person  replied..."What if we continued to come and bring happiness to the park? What if we all bring our kids often so the park doesn't feel so dreary?"

This statement made me ask myself,
"How often do I come into a situation being the light rather than seeking it for comfort?" 
The answer is not often enough.  

 Where are the dark places in our community, circle of friends, homes and even our own hearts?  Dare we go into the dark and challenge it or even yet change it?  

John 1:5 says" The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it."   

I taught Chapel to our church  preschool this morning and had all the 2 year olds in Mrs. Booths class hold battery operated tealights as we sang "This Little Light of Mine, I'm Gonna Let It Shine." We didn't sing, "This Little Light if Mine, I'm Gonna Let It Shine only in Well Lit Areas..." 
We share the light of Christ with ALL the world!
"This Little Light of Mine/Go Tell It on the Mountain"



“Light is disruptive. It breaks up the darkness. It illuminates. God’s light is like that, shining a spotlight on things we sometimes choose not to see. What parts of our lives—of our world need a bit of that light to shine? How might we be ambassadors of that light for others?”—Rethink Church UMC


Tomorrow’s word: Joy →

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Seventh Symbol of the Jesse Tree: 12 Tribes of Israel

By
Image
Seventh Symbol of the Jesse Tree: 12 Tribes of Israel And Israel (previously named Jacob) had 12 sons who didn't all get along (despite their Father's dying attempt to gather them together for blessing and peace...). These sons became the 12 tribes of Israel. Genesis 49:1-28  God could have chosen any tribe or any family lineage--God could have skipped the family drama and tribal violence of the Old Testament tribes, but God chose to remain faithful to those ancient promises. God chose to root new  life and new  peace in a previously violent story. Praise be to God!  Just for fun: Which of the Twelve Tribes of Israel are you? (online personality quiz)  Tribe of Jesus: · Matthew 1:1–6 and Luke 3:31-34  describe Jesus as the tribe of Judah . ( “Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.” ~Revelation 5:5) ·   Mary, Jesus’ mother, was also related to ...
Read more

Eleventh Jesse Tree Symbol: Gideon's Clay Pitcher

By
Image
Eleventh Jesse Tree Symbol: Gideon's clay pitcher The Israelites enter the promised land, but the next generation stops worshipping God. When enemy armies attack and conquer them, the  Israelites turn back to God and cry out. God--in grace--raises up a judges (like Gideon) who leads Israel back to victory.  Gideon 6:11-16, 7:19-23 (or all of 6-8 if you're feeling ambitious)   Gideon--Peace by Karlie Harper I love the story of Gideon because it is an underdog story. In this story we see a man who is so full of doubt of himself that he does not recognize the Spirit of the Lord sitting right in front of him. For someone like me who battles doubt and anxiety, this story is particularly meaningful.  In the verses we see the Lord trying to build up Gideon’s courage by calling him a “might warrior” and telling him “Peace, do not be afraid”. But Gideon, not unlike myself, doesn’t listen to his Lord right away. If we read the story we go on to learn how Gideon—...
Read more

Twelfth Symbol of the Jesse tree: Ruth's wheat

By
Image
Jesse Tree Symbol #12: Ruth, shaft of wheat I n the days of the Judges, famine left an Israelite woman named Naomi widowed and without both her sons. As she moved back to her hometown, one daughter-in-law (Ruth) stayed with her. This  penniless  foreigner--this outsider--Ruth was cared for and brought in to the Israelite family tree... the roots of Christ  Ruth 1:6-9,15-18; 2:1-12 and 16 Matthew 1:1-5                                       Reflection b y Peg Powell After reading these passages in Ruth, I was reminded of one of my favorite stories. Long ago, there was a mayor who lived with his only son in the hills of China. None of them in this village owned a horse, but one day, out of the blue, a stallion appeared at the mayor’s home.  All of the people exclaimed, “How lucky you are.” The mayor said, “We’ll see.” A few days later, the stallion disa...
Read more