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Isaiah 60.19-22

The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you by night; but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun shall no more go down, or your moon withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended. Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever. They are the shoot that I planted, the work of my hands, so that I might be glorified. The least of them shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation; I am the Lord; in its time I will accomplish it quickly.

When I think of the sun and the moon and the celestial bodies in the sky, I think of fixed points of reference. Sailors have and continue to use these constant flames as beacons when traveling the vast and disorienting oceans. Mankind would hardly have dared take to the open sea without some way of charting their course and their return voyage.

Yet even the sun and stars can be obscured by the weather. Storms can overtake a ship in minutes, blotting out the sky and leaving seafarers tossed by the waves, blown off course and fighting for their lives.

I can't count how many time I have felt that way in my life. Tossed by the waves. Blown off course. Fighting for my life. Often it didn't take much of a storm. This year has been tumultuous to say the least. A global pandemic. Friends and family becoming ill. Economic insecurities. Political clashes and cultural changes. The unsurety in the things I take for granted.

Fixed points of reference were being obscured.

But deeper ones remain. Watching my daughter grow up and the constant look of joy and wonder on her face reminds me of how much beauty there is in the world. Sharing this amazing and frightening journey with Kim as we grow older (and hopefully wiser). Reaching out to friends I hadn't spoken to in years (although often just through emails and social media). Enjoying the brief moments of interaction outside with neighbors or watching people greet one another from across the street. I am reminded of how important we are to one another. How dependent we are to each other's well being.

That is how "God's glory" is manifested in my experience. Through every interaction with every person (no matter the distance), as they shine light into my life and I endeavor to shine light back just like the moon and the stars.

Jeremiah 33.14-16

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”

The days are short and keep getting shorter. I am far from home and what I consider to be “my life”; I’m upstate with elderly parents who are recuperating but also insisting they can do everything themselves. I wonder daily is this my life? What am I up here for; am I really helping?

And there is advent. A time to recall the promise made by God to his people, a promise of hope and restoration, a promise of safety, and a promise of justice and righteousness.

So on days where all of the dislocation and tumult feels so overwhelming, the message of advent strikes me as a call. Have faith that God has moved me to be right where I need to be. Pray, meditate, listen - there is hope even in this hour, this moment, this breath. God’s promise is coming, stay awake, stay present and know that promise is being fulfilled.

John 1.6-9

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

The first thing I noticed is that light comes through hearing from a witness, someone telling us. The author is careful to tell us the witness was not the light, but a witness to it. The witness is a human, an “earthly” creature, like us. God uses this witness to point us in his direction.

I also noticed legal words like witness and testify were used. Those make me think of how a witness must be very careful to tell the truth and not take this job lightly, that words are important.

Jesus is called the true light, the Savior that was coming into the world. Light is a rich metaphor because in light there is truth, brightness, knowledge and beauty. We have a house in rural Pennsylvania and the times we have remembered to go out to look at a clear night sky, it is magnificent. The sky is completely covered with twinkling stars; lights shining in darkness. Those stars are always up there whether or not we take the time to notice them. Maybe the problem is that I fail to see how great the light actually is. It takes an awe-inspiring night sky to remind me. When we stare at God’s beauty, taking the time; we are moved and enlightened. Then we can be a witness and tell someone about it.