Light-Filled Blessings

The season of Christmas is bookended with prophecies of light.

Our holy commemoration of the nativity begins with Isaiah’s commentary about the light of God coming to the people – “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined.” (9.2)

These are powerful words for anyone who has experienced darkness – of body, mind, and spirit. These folks have known the dark; they have sat in it; they have been deeply impacted by it.

And these are the same people who embrace the light with relief when it arrives. They hear the words that are meant to bring us comfort and consolation, to inspire us with the Divine salvific promise of salvation made manifest in the person of the incarnate Christ, to remind us that earthly happiness and eternal joy are joined and enfleshed in the baby Jesus.

The light is here! Let the world rejoice! Even Jesus himself often cites Isaiah’s words in speaking good news to all people.

Yet, in the midst of our celebrations, we know that darkness continues.
And it is into this darkness that we speak light-filled blessings.

For we, as people of the light, have received that great gift of God. And, as people of the light, we know that receiving the light of the Lord is not meant to be an act of accepting a gift without engaging in the work of the light.

Engage we can, and engage we must! It is a part of our vocation to be the light-bearers in the world. To reject the darkness means to have faced it, to overcome the darkness means we have truly encountered it.

As light-bearers, we carry the true light: not an artificial or superficial illumination, but the life-giving and life-changing reality of the light-filled blessing that comes from God. This light cannot be forced, it cannot be denied – and it cannot be limited.

So let’s be sated with those blessings that we receive this season, and in these 12 days of Christmas come up with a way to continue our Christian journey into the Epiphany – for there we will hear Isaiah extend our invitation to active ministry thus equipped with light: “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” (60.1)

Let us truly and deeply, and faithfully, delight in the Light. 

For it is a blessing for us all when we bless the world with God's light. 

Dense

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I’ve found myself reflecting on the word dense this week; not least because I was making Christmas fudge (the easy way – with sweetened condensed milk). Density denotes closely compacted substance, something that has been intensified, concentrated, made heavy, complex.

Dense is a great word for this time of year: in the good, the bad, and the neutral, there is a density we find ourselves in.

Ecclesiastically, we have an intensified number of worship opportunities. Socially, there are abundant invitations to share some good cheer. Liturgically, we are delving deep into complex foundational narratives, and at an increasingly accelerating pace.

All this over a season of days that used to last weeks. Over the past few hundred years we have condensed Christmas – yet do our best to maintain the richness and fullness of traditions and experiences.
(Let’s not ignore that this year, the first (mostly) un-restricted Christmas since COVID-19 hit, many folks are trying to add some ‘extra’ into the season, seeking to make up some ‘special’ for the past few years.)

Emotionally, at Christmas, we face a density of both heavy and hearty memories coinciding with present day efforts and experiences. These temporally concentrated emotions can be just like the fudge’s condensed milk; simultaneously thick and viscous, yet sweet and enjoyable. The very traditions that bring us joy remind us of struggle and loss.

Our emotions are stacked up in our hearts like the presents under the tree: they intrigue us, yet we don’t know what we will be opening. They ought not be ignored, even if they aren’t quite what we expect.

No wonder it’s an overwhelming time of year!

Yet: we are not alone. From the first Christmas, it has been a heavy reality, a time of mixed joy and sorrow, of intense density. Perhaps part of our Christmas journey is not to ignore that reality, but instead to acknowledge and embrace it.

For it is a complex time, a time of journeying through challenge, yet ultimately of great joy for all to hear and receive.

So as we journey through this last week of Advent, let’s be honest with ourselves about the density of our own situations, accept that some slower days may not be a bad thing, and be gentle with ourselves as we embrace all that the season is offering us. For this time too is a gift, stacked with emotions, waiting to be received.

Rest

We’re in the middle of the season of Advent, that magical time of year when we speak about slowing down yet too-easily add things to our to-do lists, all the while time seems to be speeding itself up.

And in the midst of this, our souls cry for rest.

Rest from the pressure of society, rest from the increased social opportunities with friends and families, rest from the expectations we put on ourselves. A rest that speaks of enough, of abundance, of fulfillment.

Rest.
It seems incongruous with a society that craves validation, even from strangers, in demonstrating bigger/better/faster/more.
Yet the scriptures invite us to spend this time in repentance, in rejoicing, in returning to the Lord, in replenishment of spirit.

So while it is impractical to suggest we just ignore our cultural traditions (and who would want to?) perhaps we can be intentional about managing a balance of idealistic and realistic; a blending of secular and sacred, a compromise of busy and restorative.

While we may strive for perfection in decorating the house, God invites us to be patient in waiting for the Christ.
While we want to have those ideal presents under the tree, God invites us to be authentically present in our relationships.
While we put energy into planning a photo-worthy table, God invites us to be nourished with a Holy Meal.

While we can enjoy all that the season has to offer, God whispers into our deepest selves that rest can be enjoyed too – rest of body, rest of mind, rest of spirit – as we always learn more of what it means to be waiting in the presence of God. 

PEACE - A Prayer for Advent 2

Written for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence; originally posted at https://www.ecumenicalwomenun.org/post/day-12-16-days-of-activism-2022

PRAYER FOR PEACE

Adapted from the prayer attributed to St. Francis by Rev. Laura Marie Piotrowicz

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is gender based violence, let me be an agent for change.

Where there is hatred, place me as a barrier to prevent abuse.

Where there is injury, let me accompany the hurt towards places of healing.

Where there is doubt, open my mind to receive the stories of the oppressed.

Where there is despair, let me advocate for safe spaces.

Where there is darkness, let me stand with other allies to bring the light of your peace – for evil cannot live in the light.

Where there is sadness, let me move with others to overcome that which causes grief.

O Divine Master,

Grant that I may practice compassion without judgement;

To understand the systemic challenges enough to be stirred into action for equality;

To work for a world where love does not hurt.

For in helping our beloved in Christ we see the fullness of humanity;

In accompanying the vulnerable we receive companionship;

In working for gender equality we see the promise of your grace in this life and the next.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, an agent for change, an advocate for gender justice.

Amen

HOPE - A Prayer for Advent 1

Written for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence; originally posted at https://www.ecumenicalwomenun.org/post/day-3-16-days-of-activism-2022 

A PRAYER FOR the FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT

In this season of hope, the Bible tells us of the power of women to bear light to the world, overcoming the darkness in ways that seemed inconceivable: until they were real.

So in this season of Advent, let us listen to the message of hope and possibility, and be filled with the power as women, as girls, as gender-oppressed people.
Help us to move beyond wishful thinking and lean into the hard work of hope: of trusting, trying, and sharing the holiness of hope.

Open our eyes to see the suffering of women and girls in our own communities.
Open our ears to hear the opportunities to dismantle oppressive systems.
Open our mouths as advocates and allies for those whose voices are silenced.
Open our hands to administer the justice that comes from a dismantled patriarchy.
Open our hearts to dwell within a world of hope.

Gracious God, give us the strength to stand together to foster positive change; give us the gentleness needed to comfort the afflicted in our midst; and give us the courage to be the advocates for peace that we pray for. Give us your light to carry into the darkness.
Grant us the audacity of hope, that a world without gender-based violence (yet unknown) is possible: for God is coming and God is with us; Emmanuel.