From light comes life.
Deep in the earth, a seed begins to grow.
In our imagination, an idea takes root.
In a moment, love grows.
Safe in the womb, a baby turns.
Song “Into the darkness” https://youtu.be/qXKOxub5obc
Voice 1: We light a candle for hope, sending
prayers high into the inky heavens and
dreams deep into the human soul.
Voice 2: As Advent dawns, God of all hope,
shine your light us. May the seeds of peace, joy, love take hold in our
hearts and stretch us towards the light.
Reflection on Luke 1v8-20,
Prophets
Who are prophets? We don’t really think about them much today. The Old Testament prophets were people who were outside the establishment. They were not kings or rulers or priests. But it is their words we often hear read in churches throughout the world at this time of Advent. (Advent means The Coming). Prophets were the wise and disturbing people who spoke truth into a situation and foretold the future.
How long do you have to wait for things to change? Sometimes hundreds of years. The prophets spoke of a time when people would not be led by rules, but by God living in their hearts. A time when someone from a poor place in the north of no consequence would be born and grow up to lead people out of darkness into light.
In my family there was sadly no light at Christmas. I was born into a family where God did not exist and Christmas was largely a non- event. Like the prophets I wanted things to change and the seed of another way of being was sown in my imagination. I somehow knew things could be different.
Maybe you have been the prophet in your family, maybe you are today. The one who prays, who speaks out, who wants things to change and sees a better way of being. Its not easy because you are going against the grain and people don’t like being challenged or like change.
But back to the prophets. The prophets had two jobs. The first was to be critical of the establishment. When the king and his entourage said everything is fine, just trust me, the prophets would be critical. They would point the finger at the lifestyle of the kings and their immorality and injustice. They would condemn them. Woe to you they would say. You will bring judgement on your house and the house of your nation.
And religion, well the priests and the temple were corrupt. It had become corrupted by money and power, like many of our institutions today.
So the other job of a prophet was to sow the seed of a different way of being. Prophets were not in the pay of the establishment so they said it as it was. And they were persecuted for doing that.
Isaiah was prophesying to a people in captivity-in Babylon and he speaks comfort to them because they were distressed as any captive people would be (Is 40v1-5). He was speaking of comfort to a people who had lost hope. But they were Gods people and God would deliver them and return them to Jerusalem. Big stuff! He was either right or he was crazy!
But there were also predictions of someone who would lead the people out of darkness into light. And they spoke of a chosen one, someone anointed by God, that’s what Messiah means. v11 “He shall lead his sheep like a shepherd”.
But this would take hundreds of years. But it was a promise!
And it happened. As with all great wisdom, it comes to pass. An elderly priest Zechariah was going about his duties in the temple in Jerusalem some hundreds of years later when an angel comes to visit him to tell him his wife is pregnant. And because he doesn’t believe the angel, he is stuck dumb until the baby is born. And so the promise begins to unfold.
So today we with millions of people throughout the world are remembering that Jesus came to lead us out of darkness into light. To give us hope of a new way of being. God took on flesh and was born as a baby to live like us and lead us to a better way of being.
This Advent, this waiting time, try to step back from the hustle and bustle of your busy lives and consciously take time to listen to God. When you do, you may weep as you experience Gods presence, you may feel a sense of wonder, you may feel your spirit rise within you and imagine new possibilities. You may start to pray. Hope will return.
As I turn the corner into December, I feel a profound sense of gratitude, I weep and feel a tingle of expectation that God is at work around me and within me, despite the darkness of our world. Can you feel it too? I really hope so. As someone said “It’s better than doing drugs!” And it’s much safer! It’s the best Christmas present ever! Amen
Song “Like a candle flame” https://youtu.be/teZaQUKjx24
Come Holy Light, scatter the darkness
Come Holy Jesus, shatter our coldness
Come Holy Spirit, whisper through our lives
Come Holy God, be born in us today.
