Tag: light

Isaiah 26: Lament and Divine Response
Isaiah 26: Lament and Divine Response

Saturday, November 1, 2025

Paraphrasing from the HARPERCOLLINS BIBLE COMMENTARY: An extensive song of lamentation is followed by an assurance that judgment of the nations will be complete, and that the answers to prayers of Israel’s past will be answered. It expresses hope for a time of peace and for restoration. “Within this portrayal is a remarkable affirmation that ‘your dead will rise’ and that divine light will fall on the darkness of the realm of the shades of Sheol . . . The language is a hyperbolic expression of confidence that God will restore the nation of Israel [and] . . . leaves open the other possibilities for later readers who contemplate a more explicit conception of the restoration of the dead with the religious beliefs of Judaism and Christianity.” (Mays 509)

These words are particularly poignant as yesterday our family and friends formally marked the arrival and death of a little one. As individuals and as a community we raised our lament to the heavens; and just as surely we received our response. The words from Isaiah today bring us what we yearn to hear.

God humbles those in high places, and the lofty city God brings down . . .

No amount of wealth or power can protect us from the natural course of life which is to die in order that we rise again in full and eternal life.

The way of the just is smooth; the path of the just you make level . . .

Those who seek refuge in God alone when the storm of life descends on them will always find a secure sanctuary against the darkness; and they will rise again to join others in full and eternal life.

My soul yearns for you in the night, yes, my spirit within me keeps vigil for you . . .

Sinking into our loss, we cry out in our pain as the darkness descends; yet within us the Spirit kindles fresh hope and we know that we will rise again in full and eternal life.

O Lord, you mete out peace to us, for it is you who have accomplished all we have done . . .

Turning to the source of our being and looking to the goal of our journey we keep our eyes and hearts fixed on the One who alone calls us forward into full and eternal life.

Salvation we have not achieved for the earth, the inhabitants of the world cannot bring it forth . . .

Recognizing that we are powerless, we turn to God, the source of goodness and mercy and light, knowing that we will rise again in full and eternal life.

But your dead shall live, their bodies shall rise; awake and sing you who lie in the dust . . .

We call out to our loved ones to join us, knowing that we will rise again in full and eternal life.

For your dew is a dew of light, and the land of shades gives birth . . .

God answers our wail of lament. With swift and unswerving fidelity our God reaches down to pull us up out of the darkness to bring us into the light of his full and eternal life.

Let us leave the darkness behind, let us drink in the newness of God’s morning dew and let us abide in the light that fulfills in us the promises of God’s full and eternal life. Amen.

A re-post from October 7, 2011.

Mays, James L., ed. HARPERCOLLINS BIBLE COMMENTARY. New York, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1988. 509. Print.

Images from: http://kbccmeteorology.pbworks.com/w/page/5507744/Dew%20and%20Frost

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November 1, 2025

darkness, full and eternal life, light, resurrection, sorrow
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: Pray Without Ceasing
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: Pray Without Ceasing

Saturday, October 25, 2025

Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

I have come from my son’s house after spending the afternoon with their four-year old while he and his wife visit funeral homes to make plans for a service that will honor the life of their infant daughter. Sophie died too quickly a few days ago. And in all of the wrenching grief, there is prayer.

We sit at a meal together as night closes in. A friend visits bearing fresh fruit and vegetables. We laugh over small things, finding comfort in one another’s presence. The deep sadness is just out of sight but still with us. And in all of this quiet pain, there is prayer.

It is not the will of God that we suffer. It is the will of God that we rejoice in spite of the pain, knowing that life here is only temporary.

It is not the will of God that we sink into darkness. It is the will of God that we rise with him into the light, knowing that life in Christ is never-ending.

Pain cannot be erased, but with patient prayer and unswerving reliance on God it blooms into a rejoicing beyond any happiness we can imagine. It brings firmness out of the smelting fire. It brings purity out of the crucible. It brings a holy presence into a place where only sadness was previously felt. It brings a knowing that we are eternal and that we will meet again in newness despite any separation this earth can visit on us.

It is through pain that we find our true selves. It is in pain that we kneel before God in petition. It is after pain that we rise again in the crystalline newness of our life in Christ.

For all of these reasons, we must pray without ceasing.

A re-post from September 30, 2011.

Image from: https://guideposts.org/prayer/how-to-pray/4-ways-to-let-your-hands-do-the-praying/

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October 25, 2025

dark, death, joy, light, pain, prayer, Sophie, suffering
Wisdom 7:22-8:1: Seek Splendor
Wisdom 7:22-30: Seek Splendor

Melanie Rogers: Portrait of Lady Wisdom

Sunday, November 2, 2024

Do we know women and men who exemplify Wisdom?

Intelligent, holy, unique. Manifold, subtle, agile. Clear, unstained, certain.

Are we able to allow Wisdom to operate in us?

Not baneful, loving the good, keen. Unhampered, beneficent, kindly. Firm, secure, tranquil.

Do we see Wisdom waiting by our gate each day when we step out of the door?

All-powerful, all-seeing, pervading all spirits. Mobile beyond all motion. Penetrating, pervading all things.

Do we touch base with Wisdom as we go through our day?

An aura of the might of God. A pure effusion of the glory of the Almighty.

Do we give thanks for Wisdom each evening when we retire?

Nought that is sullied enters into her. She is the refulgence of eternal light.

Do we believe that Wisdom is with us every moment of every day, in every space and in every time? If not, we might spend time with Wisdom today.

When we compare versions of these verses, we find that we encounter the splendor we seek.

Image from: https://melanierogers.deviantart.com/art/Portrait-of-Lady-Wisdom-166866013
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November 2, 2024

clarity, light, purity
John 1: In the Beginning
John 1: In the Beginning

Thursday, August 22, 2024

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. (NRSV)

No matter how often we read these words they bring us new beauty.

Footnotes tell us that the writer lays out the themes that develop as the Gospel continues: life, light, truth, the world, testimony, the pre-existence of Jesus, the incarnate Logos who is God’s revelation and the expression of God’s love for us. When we think of the stories we hear and read in this Gospel, we know for a certainty that God is calling us to be diverse, to tend to that diversity and to place our hope in this diversity – because it is in this diversity that the Spirit manifests itself best.

The Word was first,
the Word present to God,
God present to the Word.
The Word was God,
in readiness for God from day one. (MSG)

God calls us to intimacy, and Jesus calls out this same petition in his brief life. God asks us to commune with one another in a way we think impossible, and we can only do this if we rely on Wisdom. This morning’s first reading was from Wisdom 3:1-12, The Hidden Counsels of God on Suffering. Looking at verse four of that reading we are reminded that our hope is what makes us immortal. This hidden counsel of God manifests itself in Jesus, the world’s only true hope.

In the beginning the Word already existed; the Word was with God, and the Word was God. From the very beginning the Word was with God. (GNT)

Jesus, the Suffering Servant, comes to us to serve – not to be served. And so must we serve rather than be served. No one has ever seen God except through Jesus Christ, the apostle John tells us; yet God speaks to each of us through Jesus. It is fitting that Jesus represents this hope of God. It is correct that we awake and rise each day to look to Jesus. It is right that we act and live in hope, for it is this hope that makes us immortal.

Adapted from a reflection written on September 20, 2007.

Image from: https://beithashoavah.org/in-the-beginning-logo/
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August 22, 2024

eternal life, hope, light, suffering servant, The Word, truth, Wisdom 3:1-12
Matthew 5:38-48: About Revenge – Part III
Matthew 5:38-48: About Revenge – Part III

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Today we hear Jesus’ words from his Sermon on the Mount. He asks us to live generously, he challenges us to love our enemies, and he reminds us that we are already members of his kingdom.

In a word, what I’m saying is, grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.

We linger with the thought that God lives toward us, not only giving us breath but also nurturing and sustaining us, moving into our every bone and tissue.

You must be perfect—just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (GNT)

We pause to reflect that God calls us to Christ’s presence in us, flourishing into the light of Christ, blooming into the healing presence of the Spirit.

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (NRSV)

We react to God’s request that we grow up, that we mature in Christ, that we reconcile in the Spirit, and that we transform in the Creator. This is the perfection that God asks of us. Not that live a life free or error, but that we offer to God the flowering of the potential and trust placed in us at our conception.

The Apostle James tells us that when we persist in Christ, we begin to understand what God asks of us when he asks for our perfection.

Make sure that your endurance carries you all the way without failing, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:4 (GNT)

When we compare varying versions of Matthew 5:48, we begin to understand what it is that God asks of us, and how we might grow up, how we might be perfect in Christ.

Images from: http://photosofbiblicalexplanations1.blogspot.com/2011/01/be-perfect-like-god.html and https://www.pinterest.com/pin/154318724702548382/
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February 27, 2024

healing, James 1:4, light, perfection, persistence, the kingdom
Psalm 112: Rising in the Darkness
Psalm 112: Rising in the Darkness

Monday, February 19, 2024

Whether we know it or, once we commit to loving God as we see God in others, we begin to generate light in the darkness.

Those who love the LORD rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.

We may be unaware that others are watching us but they are. When we say that are committed to Christ, do our actions betray or support our words?

It is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their affairs with justice.

If we hope to make a mark in human history, all we need do is follow Christ. In this way we will find ourselves in the story of hope and generosity rather than the story of fear and exclusion.

For the righteous will never be moved; they will be remembered forever.

Once we begin to think and move in Christ, all fear falls away for we know that we are not in charge and that the long arc of human history is moving toward the light of Christ.

They are not afraid of evil tidings; their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.

When we feel ourselves moving in that great tide of humanity that yearns for universal justice, impartial freedom and eternal peace, we will know that all is well.

Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.

The honor we seek is not the reward of this life; it is the quiet, humble, everlasting honor that Christ bestows when we follow after him.

They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor; their righteousness endures forever; they are exalted in honor.

We cannot think that our progress is smooth for the way of discipleship is difficult in the best of circumstances.

The wicked see it and are angry; they gnash their teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked comes to nothing.

And we must remember that in our gladness of living and loving in Christ, we are called to invite all those who weary from their journey of opposition, mistrust, and manipulation to join in this great generation of life and light and love.

Those who love the LORD rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.

We give thanks for the times when are the light. We ask forgiveness for the times we have brought darkness to others and ourselves. And we remember to look for the face of Christ in every soul that passes our way.

When we spend time with various translations of this psalm, we find that our hearts are lighter, our path more easily seen and trod, and our journey more full of peace.

Images from: http://blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca/lifeatuoft/2014/12/10/amnesty-international-u-of-t-cities-for-life/ and http://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/a-candle-in-the-dark/ and http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-1247-p-14.html
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February 19, 2024

compassion, discipleship, freedom, honor, justice, light, light in the darkness, love, mercy, peace, the marginalized, the wicked
John 12:44-50: Light
John 12:44-50: Light

Sunday, October 22, 2023

Despite the tragedies we see taking place in the Middle East and elsewhere, we look for the smallest sparks of light the are present in the densest darkness.

We are made in God’s image in a glorious diversity of structure and personality. Today we hear the words of Jesus describing himself as Light to the World. In God’s image, we are called into life both individually and collectively to be that light as well. We have our instruction, it seems, and they are simple. We are made to be planted beside one another, warts and all, to agree on the Gospel story, to allow God to hone the rough edges from our exterior, and to open our hearts to the possibility of being Light and Hope and Love. There is no greater calling.

In our familiar creation story we are told of the gift of life itself. Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” Genesis 1:26

The prophet Isaiah reminds us that we are named, loved and called. For the sake of Jacob, my servant, of Israel my chosen one, I have called you by your name, giving you a title, though you knew me not. I am the Lord and there is no other, there is no God besides me. It is I who arm you, though you know me not, so that toward the rising and the setting of the sun men may know that there is none besides me. I am the Lord, there is no other. I form the light and create the darkness, I make well-being and create we; I, the Lord, do all these things. Isaiah 45:4-7

Paul writes to the Colossians and he writes to us. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us. Colossians 1:12-18 Do not lie to one another, for you have put off the old self with its habits and have put on the new self. This is the new being which God, its Creator, is constantly renewing in his own image, in order to bring you to a full knowledge of himself. Colossians 3:9-10

Christ himself calls us to set the world ablaze with our fervor for our mission in him. Jesus said to his disciples [to us], “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” Luke 12:49

And as we reflect, we pray.

We are created in light to bring light to the world. Let us never doubt the Creator’s strength and wisdom, and let us call on God for help when we feel the darkness too close around us.

We are made in God’s own image as sisters and brothers of Christ. Let us always rely on Jesus’ love and compassion when we are overcome by the worries of the world.

We are made in love to bring love to the world. Let us forever depend on the healing presence of the Spirit when we are wounded or betrayed.

May Jesus Christ be always our way, our truth, our life and our light. Amen.

When we use the scripture links to explore other translations of these verses, we encounter the wisdom and life, the truth and light we seek.

Adapted from a Favorite written on October 23, 2008.

For another reflection on the meaning of Christ’s light in the world’s darkness, click on the image of the universe above or visit: http://cribandcross.org/the-light-in-the-darkness/

Lighthouse image from: https://www.truthforlife.org/resources/series/a-light-in-the-darkness/
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October 22, 2023

Colossians 1:12-18, Colossians 3:9-10, Genesis 1:26, hope, Isaiah 45:4-7, life, light, Luke 12:49, made in God’s image, truth, wisdom
Luke 9:8-36: Transfiguration
Luke 9:8-36: Transfiguration

Sunday, February 19, 2023

So many times we are called to Transfiguration. So many times we are called to Exodus. So many times we meet angels and prophets and yet do not respond. We are so caught up in getting through the day, getting through the night, the week, the month, the year . . . the life.

So often we want to pause at a happy spot to set up a tent to house that moment and hold it. So often we want to wrestle with time until it obeys us. We live in the past, we live in the future, we live anywhere else but the present, re-living, un-living, projecting, transferring.

Jesus goes up to the mountain with two of his beloved apostles to speak with Elijah, Moses and his Father about the work that lies before him. Of course he knows what was expected of him – down to the smallest detail – yet he listens to those who have gone before him. He listens to the wisdom of the ages. And he shares the experience with his friends.

Jesus shares this wisdom and love with us as well. He give to us the opportunity of transfiguration of self. We are not held away from the gift of salvation; rather, we are invited to join Christ’s joy and glory. So when the cloud descends upon us, and we hear the voice from the mist say: This is my Son, listen to him . . . may we have the courage, the wisdom, the light and the joy to do as we are bidden. Because through this experience comes a true knowing of God, a true knowing of self. With this comes an openness to the Word and the Truth and the Light.

As we anticipate our Lenten journey that begins on Ash Wednesday this week, it is good to pause to reflect upon the possibilities offered to us through Transfiguration.

Looking for transfiguration, we begin a new Lenten practice this week. Rather than thinking: “Let us make three tents to contain the joy of God’s wisdom,” let us think instead, “Let us share the joy of God’s great gift of love”.

Tomorrow, the Christ.

To learn more about how the Violins of Hope provide an opportunity for learning and reflection through restored instruments that survived the Holocaust, and to see how Cleveland’s MALTZ MUSEUM OF JEWISH HERITAGE offers opportunities of transfiguration, click on the images above or visit: http://www.violinsofhopecle.org/

To hear these violins in concert, go to a CBS video at: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/violins-of-hope/

Learn about the book Violins of Hope by James A. Grymes at: http://www.jamesagrymes.com/

Images from: http://www.violinsofhopecle.org/

Adapted from a Favorite from December 11, 2007.
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February 19, 2023

Elijah, Exodus, John, light, Moses, Peter, The Word, truth, Violins of Hope, wisdom
Wisdom 11:2-5: Special Providence in Exodus
Wisdom 11:2-5: Special Providence in Exodus

First Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2022

The Book of Wisdom prepares us for Advent, our time of Exodus from darkness into the light of truth, hope and love. God is always with us, guiding and protecting; yet in a special way God accompanies us closely when we move out of a place of comfort where our unhealthy behaviors are enabled into a place of health, where we work on our rough edges. When we make this kind of transition from being prisoners of a habit to being free to hear the surprising new behavior God has in mind for us, we place ourselves at risk. We take a leap of faith, believing that as we shed our old safety net, God will place an even better one beneath us. When we journey from a state of slavery to a state of freedom, we are accompanied by the pillar of smoke by day, the column of fire by night. God provides for his faithful in a very special way as they make themselves vulnerable for his sake.

And so we pray . . .

They journeyed through the uninhabited desert, and in solitude they pitched their tents . . .

When we feel most alone we are most attended. When we suffer we walk in the company of God’s angels . . . for we are especially loved and kept by God.

They withstood enemies and took vengeance on their foes . . .

The faithful do not need to fight; rather we need only witness to the story of God’s coming among us. The rest we leave in the hands of God who turns all harm to good.

When they thirsted, they called upon you . . .

When we are in misery, anxiety, fear of any kind there is only one place to turn. To God.

And water was given them from sheer rock . . .

Then we are to expect the unexpected, the inverse, the surprising, the paradox.

Assuagement for their thirst from the hard stone . . .

We are precious in God’s eyes, made in God’s image. We are stones of a living temple to be rejected by those who build upon the sand, but placed upon a strong foundation by the one who endures.

For by the things through which their foes were punished they in their need were benefited.

We will know how to interact with our foes when we look to their suffering rather than our own. We can expect God’s guidance and protection as we work to become God’s disciples. And so we pray.

Good and watchful God,

We enter into our exodus journey to you. We know that you will not allow a foot to be dashed upon a stone. We believe that you will not desert us. We trust that you sustain us from your goodness. We believe that you teach us through our many trials. We ask your continued patience with us when we doubt, your continued love for us when we err, your continued hope for us when we falter. We who are made in your image strike out from a foreign land of enslavement to move homeward in freedom. Call us constantly back to you when we stray. Keep us close by you. Always. Amen.

Images from: https://www.perfectbrilliantstillness.org/what-is-page-3/hand-holding-planet-earth-crop-and-darken/ and https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/exodus-understanding-one-of-the-bibles-major-themes

A favorite from December 2, 2008.
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November 27, 2022

freedom, light, made in God’s image, pillar of smoke and fire, slavery, truth