Warmed by the Light
By Pastor Janet Feb 08, 2006
As a child, my elder sister, Kathy, gave each of her three younger sisters nicknames. How and why we were each dubbed, as we were, remains a bit of a mystery, but my sister has referred to me as “Little Light†for over 30 years now.
Maybe that association along with others has shaped my spirit when it comes to images of light. I love candles, stained glass windows and the colors of sunset at dusk. In the church year, the season of Epiphany is one of my favorites. One rarely sees a “Happy Epiphany†card in the store, so I’m guessing the culture at large may be just a tad less tuned-in to the richness of this liturgical season.
Nevertheless, the focus on the theme of light — and Jesus as the light of the world — is a warm and inviting one. All of the joy and magic of the Christmas season, yet replacing the hustle and bustle of shopping with the wonder of stars, the mystery of costly devotion, the quiet reflective beauty of winter accompanied by a chill in the air to catch our attention.
All it takes is a brief power-outage in the evening and our appreciation for the power of light in our lives is instantly renewed!
God is in our experiences of light and in our experiences of darkness.
What images come to mind as you think of these lights… and where is God in them?
Candlelight…
Flashlights…
Headlights…
Flares…
Flood lamps…
Light gives us emotional warmth, it’s a tool for discovery, it shows us the path ahead and marks the boundaries of the places we dare to enter — it makes dancing under the stars safe. Light can also be annoying — when we want to stay asleep it is a nuisance, when we are hiding it exposes us beyond our comfort zone, when it uncovers a buried truth it can be blinding.
Whatever else it may be, light is not idle — as we hear the beginning chapters of the gospel of Mark in our Sunday worship this month we are reminded of God’s powerful plans for the world: a deep connection with us, life-giving discipleship, intolerance of evil, an urgency to change the world to conform to God’s ways, healing for bodies and minds and spirits, compassion, reaching out to the outcast, making peace — the LIGHT changes everything!
The Light of the world claims the power to bring love and wholeness wherever it goes Happy Epiphany to you — may you soak in the Light — follow the Light — be warmed by the Light — spread the Light!
Happy Epiphany — Viva La Luz!
Pastor Janet
