Thought for Today
Genesis 1:3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.
Isaiah 9:2 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.
John 1:3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and life was the light of all people.
Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.
Today is the eve of Christmas Eve. Today is the day before the day before. Hopefully, some enterprising young person will be able to use AI and the writing assistant aps to generate a better catch-phrase for the eve of Christmas Eve, something with enough pop and sizzle to become as ubiquitous as ‘Christmas Eve.’ In Greek, ‘the day before’ would be something like ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ ἔμπροσθεν (haymera mia emprosthen). Said once in English, that is a mouthful. Said twice in succession, it is almost impossible. In the meantime, we are stuck with ‘the day before the day before.’
I cannot help but wonder whether on this day 2024 years ago, Mary was asking Joseph, “Are we there yet? What Roman idiot thought that requiring women in their third trimester travel long distances merely to be added to the tax rolls was a good idea?”
Yesterday, during worship, we read, heard and talked about the Magnificat, Mary’s Song. We heard the joy, the honor, the paean of honor to God for God’s blessing and gift. On ‘the day before the day before,’ was Mary in a completely different mood? How about you, what is your mood today? Are you anxious? Are you worried about whether the right and best gifts are under the tree? Are there as many packages as last year? Are all of the requisite dishes for Christmas Day’s meal in preparation? Maybe even worse, are you on the road traveling today? Or, even worse still (worser?), are you in an airport, anxiously scanning the electronic board showing all of the delayed or cancelled flights?
For me, on this day before the day before, I am thinking about light. Possibly that is because the sun this morning is bright, the sky is clear. After Friday’s ‘mild dusting’ of snow that left 1”+ of heavy, wet snow on the roads, seeing the bright light of the sun this morning is very welcome. It may have only been 3oF when I awoke this morning, but it is a beautiful day, albeit a cold day.
I am impressed by how often the word ‘light’ appears in scripture. The word is used 236 times in my New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. In our world of LEDs, neon lights and bright city lights, real, true darkness is a rare commodity. In the world of Joseph and Mary, in the world into which Jesus was born, the primary sources of light were the lights which God called into being as we read in Genesis. There was the sun; there was the moon. By the time of Jesus’ birth, there were ‘artificial’ lights, candles, oil lamps and torches. Contrast that to our modern world where astronomers are forced to locate their earthly telescopes in the remotest of locales to escape the light pollution of our urban sprawls. None of those about whom we read in scripture would understand a phrase like light pollution.
All of us, then and now, do understand the metaphorical use of light as it was used by Isaiah, John and Jesus. We understand “Proverbs 13:9 The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked goes out.” And, we know what the Prophet of Ecclesiastes meant by, “11:7 Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun. 8 Even those who live many years should rejoice in them all; yet let them remember that the days of darkness will be many . . .”
Today is the day before the day before. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Wednesday is Christmas Day. The events we celebrate each Christmas season should be reflective of the candles of light we burn in our Advent wreaths, hope, peace, joy and love. Each year we remember and celebrate the coming of the life which is and was the light of all people.
Let the light of this season, the light of hope, peace, joy and love shine brightly in your hearts and your lives today, tomorrow and every day, reflecting the life which is the light of us all. Be “the light of the world.” Remember, “A city built on a hill cannot be hid.”
Stay safe, reflect God’s light, trust God,
Pastor Ray