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| Image by Tony Armstrong-Sly |
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A GREETING
I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
(Psalm 27:13)
A READING
I will sing to my God a new song:
O Lord, you are great and glorious, wonderful in strength, invincible.
Let all your creatures serve you, for you spoke, and they were made.
You sent forth your spirit, and it formed them;
there is none that can resist your voice.
(Judith 16:13-14)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
‘Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in splendour, doing wonders?
(Exodus 15:11)
A REFLECTION
The presence and experience of colour is at the very heart of human life. In a sense, we are created for a life full of color. It is no accident that we abandon the world when the colours vanish... Night is the land where all the outer colours sleep. We awaken and return to the world when the colours return at dawn. There is a beautiful word in Irish for this: luisne -- the first blush of light before dawn breaks.
- from "Beauty, The Invisible Embrace," by John O'Donohue
VERSE OF THE DAY
Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord.
(Psalm 31:24)
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| "The lonely God reveals the beauty of mercy to the soul," By Laura Makabresku |
From Advent to Epiphany, the relationship between darkness and light holds our fixed attention. We notice the diminishing days, we observe the longest night, and we eagerly mark the gradual return of more daylight. Over the next thirty-five days, we will embrace the holiness of darkness and the necessity of light, as we wait for Jesus, and as we spend the days after his birth renewing our own discipleship.
Advent calls out to us to seek a certain stillness, in which we may steady our hearts and minds and reflect on the mystery of faith. Both of today’s top and bottom images were taken in Ireland, where Celtic Christianity was born. They capture the stillness that Creation offers in the places where God’s goodness meets the earth’s silence. They invite us to pause, and listen.
Today's verses from scripture celebrate God's goodness at all times of our lives. Judith's praise of God carries echoes of Psalms 138, 139 and 150. The cry of those in exile holds the knowledge that God endures and is always with us in our own lives, through the challenging news feeds, as we carry the loss of loved ones from this past year, and as we experience the deep pangs of anxiety about the state of the world.
Over the coming days and weeks, we will make space for holy silence and return our anxious breath to our bodies. We will discover how the relationship between darkness and light can be experienced as an embracing and holy partnership. Anyone who has stood on a shoreline and watched the rising or setting sun knows the range of colour that becomes part of the exchange. Even in perfect darkness there is the light of the heavens, the moon, the stars and the galaxies. Even in daytime there is darkness, as shadows fall along the lines of trees or a thick cool woods offers respite from heat.
As we pass through the darkest time of the year, how can we bless that darkness as an essential part of our own creation? How can we see light and darkness as companions, as we wait for the one who will transform everything and make us whole again?
Advent calls out to us to seek a certain stillness, in which we may steady our hearts and minds and reflect on the mystery of faith. Both of today’s top and bottom images were taken in Ireland, where Celtic Christianity was born. They capture the stillness that Creation offers in the places where God’s goodness meets the earth’s silence. They invite us to pause, and listen.
Today's verses from scripture celebrate God's goodness at all times of our lives. Judith's praise of God carries echoes of Psalms 138, 139 and 150. The cry of those in exile holds the knowledge that God endures and is always with us in our own lives, through the challenging news feeds, as we carry the loss of loved ones from this past year, and as we experience the deep pangs of anxiety about the state of the world.
Over the coming days and weeks, we will make space for holy silence and return our anxious breath to our bodies. We will discover how the relationship between darkness and light can be experienced as an embracing and holy partnership. Anyone who has stood on a shoreline and watched the rising or setting sun knows the range of colour that becomes part of the exchange. Even in perfect darkness there is the light of the heavens, the moon, the stars and the galaxies. Even in daytime there is darkness, as shadows fall along the lines of trees or a thick cool woods offers respite from heat.
As we pass through the darkest time of the year, how can we bless that darkness as an essential part of our own creation? How can we see light and darkness as companions, as we wait for the one who will transform everything and make us whole again?
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| Image by Giuseppe Milo |
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LC† Come Holy Darkness is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook, and on X (formerly Twitter). Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help to support extended offerings throughout the year.
Thank you and peace be with you!