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| Image by Robert Cross |
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Kevin
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A GREETING
Bless the Lord, light and darkness;
sing praise and highly exalt God forever.
(Prayer of Azariah 1:48)
A READING
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise ones from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ They set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising. When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet.’ Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’
(Matthew 2:1-5;7-8)
MUSIC
This French carol sings about all those who are gathered around the infant Jesus.
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
By the streams the birds of the air have their habitation;
they sing among the branches.
(Psalm 104:12)
A POEM
The Word became fire, and now
burns within us – warming
hearts kindling the
thought that love becomes us – our
skin glistening hope.
The Word became dirt, and now
dwells below us – holding
us up, soul on soil, gracing
our grasses, grains, gardens;
all our eating now holy.
The Word became wet, and now
rains upon us, now
baptismal bath, now
living spring, now
we are sated with sacred
surging, pulsing, raging.
The Word became air, and now
fills our sails, our souls, our lungs
enlarging; this Word waits
upon us serving us breath, death
abated until the day our flesh fades into
a memory, a word, a poem.
The Word becomes us, making
us fit; it suits us, dressing us
with holy splendor, bending us
back again to our origin:
in the beginning, Word.
- "The Word Becomes Fire" by Rev. Dr. Allen Jorgenson
found on his blog, stillvoicing.
VERSE OF THE DAY
For the creation waits with eager longing
for the revealing of the children of God
(Romans 8:19)
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Murmuration of starlings off the Aberystwyth Promenade in Wales.
Video capture by John Davies, found on Instagram at @ajohndavies_photography
Kevin of Glendalough was a fifth-to-seventh century Irish monk who lived to be 120 years old (498-618). Like Cuthbert and some of our other saints, his life alternated between intense periods of hermitage and isolation and long periods of mission. He was a lover of nature and animals and his attributed miracles include them. One famous story told about him is of a time in his small hermitage hut when he was kneeling with his arms outstretched in prayer. A blackbird flew in and began to build a nest in his outstretched hand. Realizing what was happening, he stayed still so the bird would not fly off. They stayed this way for days and weeks, as Kevin did not want to disturb what was happening. The blackbird seemed to understand the sacrifice and fed him with nuts and berries in gratitude. Some versions of this story place it in Lent, with the last of the hatched birds leaving the nest on Palm Sunday.
Tomorrow our journey with the Celtic traditions and saints will end in the feast of Epiphany. The story of the wise (and very brave) Magi who journeyed from afar to meet the newborn king marks the end of Christmastide. The Magi understood that this marvelous infant was not just royalty in ways they understood, but the fulfilment of a prophecy and a prophecy of signs: the ‘star’ of a special radiance appears frequently in the Hebrew bible to signify something significant and in the New Testament as well. From Numbers (24:17) to Revelation (22:16), we hear about the special radiance of the heavens in association with the thriving future of God’s people.
The star of Bethlehem and its companion the night, are the same holy darkness and daylight, heavens and earth, that were visible to the Celtic saints, sitting in their caves, six hundred years later. The companionship of holy darkness and holy daylight have continued to guide those inspired to find and follow the stars of faith in the ages leading up to Jesus and in all the time since. Kevin gained renown as a teacher and his reputation grew. Over time the site where he once retreated into a cave became the home of a seminary that would educate some of the later saints of Ireland and finally serve as a pilgrimage destination.
How can the fiery gases of a comet-like star ignite a passion in you for the work Jesus calls us to? What are the gifts you carry with you as you serve God in the world?
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| Image by Sean MacEntee |
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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 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!