A couple of weeks ago I posted this photo with an earlier version of this prayer and encouraged you to consider getting ready for the season of Advent when our theme on Godspace will be Lean Towards the Light. I thought this would be a good time to prod your memory before life got too caught up in the preChristmas frenzy.
I commented then:
In our celebration of the coming of the baby Jesus we often forget that the light of Christ is already shining in our world. So my question for the season is: How do we lean into the light of Christ? It is easy for us to spend so much time and energy on preparing for Christmas that we do not allow the season to prepare us for the coming year. So how do we lean into the light that will shine through us and out into God’s broken world over this coming year?
In the Northern hemisphere, as we pass through the darkest season of the year, and look towards the coming of the Christ light, we may be aware that darkness is the place in which new seeds germinate. Or we may think like Bruce Coburn in his song Lovers in a Dangerous Time, that we have to kick at the darkness ’til it bleeds daylight.
In the southern hemisphere where Advent and Christmas are marked by the long days of summer, leaning towards the light might engender images of growth and harvest or of late summer sunsets splashed across the sky.
Whatever images come to mind for you, prayerfully consider how these can be reflected in your faith as you get ready for the celebration of Advent and Christmas. It is not too early to get ready.
Showing the light of Jesus at this season should not just be about going to a few more church services, lighting a few candles or singing carols in the streets. It should be about getting down and doing the things that Jesus would do.
I think there are three questions we need to ask ourselves as we move towards the end of the year:
- How can I prepare inwardly for this season and maintain a balanced life that radiates the joy, love and light of Jesus to those I meet?
- How can I reach out to others in ways that will have a lasting effect and enable them to lean in more fully towards the light of Christ?
- How can I ignite the flame in others so that they too will radiate the light of Christ?
Tom and I will go on one of our regular retreats in a couple of weeks to prepare ourselves for this important season of the year.
What do you plan to do so that you are fully prepared for the celebration of the coming of Christ into our world.