The scripture for the second Sunday of Advent is Matthew 11:2-10. I am going to allow you to look up the verses read them and meditate on them. Today I want to talk to you about light.
I was out very late last night. This is something that very rarely do mainly because if I go to bed after midnight I never get the right type of sleep and the next day I end up well…sick. But last I was celebrating with good friends and the way I feel today is worth it as I was able to receive the love offered me.
While driving home I couldn’t help noticing the lights on the homes and businesses and schools that I passed. How brightly they shone and how they cut into the almost complete darkness of some of the streets I had to travel. The light all looked welcoming and friendly and they seemed to me to be guiding me on my way home taking me to safety.
It may be my imagination, but it almost seemed as if these lights were glowing more strongly than usual. It seemed that the colors were more bright and vibrant. It was as if the lights were saying, “Look at us and learn.”
Jesus said that he was the light that came into the world to save us. We were in utter darkness and He came to show us how to live and to save us from a horrible doom. We put candles on Birthday Cakes to mark the new year of a friend or family member. We put lights on our homes to mark the new year of Jesus. If these lights could think, it is my theory that would say, “We will shine more brightly, we will light the darkness with all we have to show who you are to the world on each December 25th.
Here’s the challenge. If you are not doing the advent wreath in your home, go out and buy a few candles and set them up in a safe place in your homes. Do this when the sun has disappeared completely and it is as dark as your home can get. Then light the candles. Sit in a chair and bathe in the light they give off. Think about the comfort they are giving you and get a clear picture in your mind of what they look like as they quietly glow. Six months from now. Do the exact same thing, and see if you don’t notice that flame is not as bright, that glow doesn’t seem as cheerful. That the candles themselves seem to be more relaxed. I think you will find that the brightness of light at Christmas is different than the rest of the year.
