Wednesday January 25, 2023
The light is on!
Sandy Tanis
LIGHT…a rather simple word of 5 letters, but the meaning given to it during the Advent and Christmas season, is powerful. I never thought much about the word in connection with the birth of Jesus Christ, all of a sudden it was everywhere, in readings, hymns, sermons, reflections. We are now in Epiphany and the word continues to surface in significant appearances of hope, love, and faith. All of a sudden, every time I hear or read the word LIGHT, I say to myself WOW, there it is again. Anne Lamont, in her book, Help, Thanks, Wow, writes “when we state wow, something has stunned us to a place beyond words”.
The smallest amount of light can brighten a dark mass on a canvas, to which one can stand back from, look, and think… that’s it. On a cold winter night, white candles in a distant window, can make one feel warm and comforted. Looking up into the blackness of the night sky, one can be amazed at the LIGHT of a single, twinkling star, as if it was just put there to find you. Morning LIGHT greets us each day, if we are present enough to see it. Good news sometimes sheds it LIGHT upon our direst of thoughts and the moment changes the day to one of joy. WOW!
We all carry with us LIGHT given to us by God, but are we aware of it? How does it affect us? How does it affect others? The darkness in our personal lives can be overwhelming, paralyzing, and isolating, to the point that we can think of little else. But, by reaching out…to a neighbor suffering from grief, to a friend in need of support, helping a disabled or elderly person get to their car, listening with presence when someone is trying to express a concern, being truly present in church and in prayer as we lift up our concerns to God… our own God-given LIGHT can shine through the darkness of life and perhaps, in a small way, embrace others and ourselves.
How many times have we come to church with a heavy heart and left feeling uplifted and gladden? The LIGHT of the community of Christian worshippers has embraced us and our souls are at peace. Our LIGHT is on. We want to reach out to others, so that they, too, can experience the reflection of LIGHT in their lives. Maybe we all turn our LIGHT on more than we realize. Give it some thought. Through intention and purpose, we are called to witness God’s love for us and our love for one another.