Hello friends,
This is Mark Gladman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your Friendly Neighbourhood Monk-in-Docs,
And today as we continue to walk through Lent,
We reflect again on Jesus' words,
I am the light of the world.
So as we begin,
Take in a deep breath,
Slowly exhale,
Letting go of any tension.
Now settle into this moment,
Let your mind slow down,
Let your heart open,
And let yourself simply be here in the presence of God.
And listen again to the words of Jesus as he says,
I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness,
But will have the light of life.
Light changes everything.
Think about walking into a dark room.
At first you can't see,
Every step you take is hesitant,
Unsure,
Uncertain.
And then someone turns on a light.
Now the room doesn't change,
But the way you saw it did.
And this my friend,
Is what God's light does to our lives.
It doesn't take away the struggles,
But it does help us to see them differently.
It helps us find beauty where we were only seeing brokenness.
It helps us to see hope,
Where all we could feel was despair.
It helps us find the path forward,
When we thought we were all but lost.
I wonder,
What in your life feels difficult right now?
Is there a situation that seems unclear?
A place where you need direction?
Or hope?
Or peace?
Now ask yourself,
What might it look like to see this situation in God's light?
What might it look like to see through the lens of love,
Rather than fear?
Through trust,
Rather than anxiety?
Through grace,
Rather than judgment?
Close your eyes and imagine that you're standing in a vast landscape.
It's nighttime.
The sky is heavy.
The path ahead is uncertain.
There is no moon tonight and the clouds cover the stars in the sky.
Everything is dim.
And then in the distance,
The first light of dawn begins to rise.
And as the sun continues to slowly emerge over the edge of the horizon,
The world around you becomes just as slowly,
But magically illuminated.
Where there was once only shadow,
Now you begin to see shape and color.
You notice a beauty all around you that you hadn't been able to see before.
And then the path ahead begins to emerge.
And the more the light comes up,
The clearer the way forward becomes with every single step that you take upon it.
Now imagine that this light is God's love pouring over your life,
Over your struggles,
Over your uncertainties,
Softening the harsh edges,
Revealing moments of grace that you had not noticed.
Let yourself stand in this light.
Let it surround you.
Let this light be your guide.
As we close,
We share a prayer together.
God of light,
When the world feels dark,
Help us see through your eyes.
Illuminate our struggles with your love.
Surround our doubts with your truth.
Shine upon our fears with your peace.
Open our eyes to the beauty that is already here.
The grace that is already unfolding and the hope that never ever fades.
Thank you for your light that never fails us.
May we walk in it today and always.
Amen.
As we emerge from our time of reflection,
Let us take a deep breath in,
Slowly exhale.
And as you move forward,
May you carry the light of Christ within you,
Seeing the world not as it appears in the shadows,
But as it truly is bathed in God's love.
And may grace,
Peace and love go with you every step of the way.
Amen.
Until tomorrow,
Peace be with you,
Friends.
