Genesis 1:1-5
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the
earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the
deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then
God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the
light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called
the light Day, and the darkness Night. And there was evening and there was
morning, the first day.
John 1:1-5
In the beginning
there was the Word;
the Word was in God’s presence ,and the Word was God.
the Word was in God’s presence ,and the Word was God.
the Word was
present to God from the beginning.
Through the Word all things came into being,
and apart from the Word nothing came into being that has come into being.
In the Word was life, and that life was humanity’s light—
Through the Word all things came into being,
and apart from the Word nothing came into being that has come into being.
In the Word was life, and that life was humanity’s light—
a Light that shines
in the darkness,
a Light that the darkness has never overtaken.
a Light that the darkness has never overtaken.
A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS – ANCIENT LIGHT
Those
members of the worship who attended the Worship Design Studio last month were
inspired and energized by that event. These basic plans were formed in the
midst of that workshop. We were excited by a new process and the ideas that
process led us to. When we looked at Advent we seemed drawn to the anchor idea
of “A Light in the Darkness.” We talked about the concepts that fly in orbit
around that notion. The light shines in the dark. It offers a beacon to hope
and safety. The light shines in the dark, but does not obliterate it. The light
of Christ shines in the midst of all kinds of darknesses in our world. We then
talked about those kinds of darkness: loneliness, lostness, and more. We laid
some initial frameworks based on those conversations, and continued to work on
crafting these worship experiences.
As
we continued that work and the conversations that go with it, we realized that
we had a focus problem. To focus on the darkness as the primary factor was not
leading us toward the excitement or energy that the best of worship elicits. So
we realized that our anchor was still good: A Light in the Dark. But we need to
focus on the light more than the dark. And so we shall.
Advent has often been called a
season of Light. The four weeks are traditionally marked with the lighting of
the 4 Advent candles. It is a season of waiting and preparation. We are waiting
and preparing for the coming of Christ. Advent is a season of marking time.
Humans
have used the stars to mark time almost as long as we have been human. They watched the stars to gauge the changing
of the seasons. The winter solstice became a great celebration for ancient
humans living in colder climates because they could see that the nights stopped
getting long, and that the warmth and light of the sun would return. Winter and
night would not last forever. When the early followers of Christ encountered
those solstice celebrations they said that they knew something about a Light
that gives life to the world and they knew that Light as Christ. That is one of
the reasons that we celebrate Christmas in December.
The
authors of John’s Gospel had a sense of this 1900 years ago. The book of
genesis begins with an account of God creating the world. The first thing
created in Genesis is light. The Gospel of John also begins with an account of
Creation, but here the Light is Christ and that light is life of the world. We
are beginning the season in which we prepare ourselves to see that light enter
our world again.
As
we begin this year’s Advent season we are inviting ourselves to participate in
that most ancient of practices looking for Light in the Dark: star-gazing. The
vastness of our universe is practically unimaginable. As we gaze up at those
jewels of light in the night sky, the light that is reflected on our retinas
began its journey across space millions if not billions of years ago. It may be
the first time we’ve seen it, but it is ancient light indeed.
In
much the same way, God’s love has been journeying toward us from that first
moment of Creation billions of years ago. That long-journeyed love culminated
for us as Christians in the life of Jesus. We wait through four weeks for
Christmas to arrive, but the love that formed (and forms) the universe has
waited much longer indeed. That ancient star light can remind us of that love
which God is still waiting for us to look up and see.
Anchor: A Light in the Dark
Frame: Ancient Light
Thread: “More Light” by Christopher Grundy (you can hear
it at www.christophergrundy.com
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