Hello my friends,
This is Mark Glideman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighbourhood monk in docks,
Welcoming you to Day 3 of Towards the Light,
An Advent Journey.
Today we're going to be reflecting on seeing beyond the darkness.
Have you ever noticed that there's something about the dark that sharpens our other senses?
When the familiar fades,
We strain to see,
To feel,
And to orient ourselves.
An advent meets us here,
In that in-between space where darkness isn't the absence of God's light,
It's the canvas for God's light.
Rabindranath Tagore once wrote,
Faith is the bird that feels the light,
And sing when the dawn is still dark.
Let me say that again because it's absolutely beautiful.
Faith is the bird that feels the light,
And sings when the dawn is still dark.
It's such a beautiful image,
Isn't it?
Faith doesn't wait for the sun to rise to believe in the morning,
Rather faith sings trusting that the light is on its way.
John begins his Gospel like this,
In the beginning was the Word,
And the Word was with God,
And the Word was God.
The Word was with God in the beginning.
Through the Word all things were made.
Without the Word nothing was made that has been made.
In the Word was life,
And that life was the light of all mankind.
The light shines in the darkness,
And the darkness has not overcome it.
Did you get that last sentence?
Here it is again.
The light shines in the darkness,
And the darkness has not overcome it.
Notice the certainty in that verse.
The darkness is real,
Yes,
But it cannot win.
The light pierces it,
And Advent invites us to see that light,
Even when the night feels endless.
I wonder,
What are the dark places in your life right now?
Maybe there's some uncertainty about the future.
Maybe it's a grief,
A fear,
Or a sense of being stuck.
Whatever it is,
Don't just rush past it.
Get with it,
Name it,
Then just as slowly invite God's light into those spaces.
Not to erase them,
And not to take them away,
But to transform them.
Because God's light doesn't ignore the darkness.
God's light redeems the darkness.
Advent light isn't about fixing everything.
It's about letting God's presence illuminate what you've been too weary to see.
Sometimes it's just enough light to take the next step.
And sometimes that's all we need.
So today,
May you learn to trust the light you cannot yet see.
May you allow God's presence to meet you in the places you'd rather hide.
May you find that the light of Christ doesn't wait for perfect conditions.
It shines even here,
Even now.
May you have the courage to face your darkness,
Knowing that God's light will always outlast the night.
And may you become a reflection of that light for others,
A steady,
Quiet beacon in their storm.
And may grace,
Peace,
And love go with you as you journey through day three of Advent.
And I encourage you as we end this time that perhaps you take a moment to reflect on the ways light has pierced your own darkness.
Have a look at John's Gospel,
Chapter 1,
Verse 5 again,
Or at 2 Corinthians 4,
Verse 6.
And as you sit with those passages,
Ask the question,
Where is God's light leading me today?
Until tomorrow,
Bye for now.
