Where Does the Light Come From?
A couple weeks ago, I was hosting a few friends, and given the pandemic, we wanted to sit outside - in the middle of January on a blustery night in Northern Michigan. Oh the things we do for connection these days!
So I pulled out all the stops. I made homemade strawberry shortcake, goat cheese stuffed dates, popcorn, and homemade hot chocolate. And I wanted the ambiance to be perfect...and warm for these women I love so dearly.
I had strung up…I mean, my husband strung up Italian lights after I failed miserably. I plugged in two space heaters to supplement the heat from the outdoor fireplace. It was beautiful and warm. See?
But apparently it was overkill and I blew a fuse. The lights and heater went out and I couldn’t figure out how to turn them back on.
I was flustered running around the house trying to fix it for a while, but eventually gave up and joined my friends around the fire.
We talked about our dreams. We talked about our longings and our passions.
We talked about our desires to create a sense of belonging for those on the outside of our church. We talked about our longing for justice. Our desire for wholeness and shalom in the world.
And the next morning, while I vented to God about my frustration with how the lights and heat went out, God silenced me with the illumination and warmth of my friends.
The Lord whispered, “Don’t you know where light comes from?”
He reminded me of this verse,
“Everything exposed by the light becomes visible - and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. That is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
Warmth and light comes from God when we are exposed by His light. And then what is illuminated in us becomes a light. There was plenty of light to go around that night to help us to see and keep us warm.
A few of the sparks I saw shimmer that night?
Truth. Justice. Advocacy. Hospitality. Beauty. Empathy. Compassion. Laughter. Hope.
You could see it in the glow on their faces. The way they lit up when talking about their dreams, their story. And even while our thoughts were still so unpolished and unfinished, there was beauty in them. A little flame - a spark that will one day turn into a roaring fire that will spread.
The words of encouragement blew warm breath into embers - stoking the fire and fanning the flames in one another.
The spark and glimmer of Christ illuminated and warmed that cold winter night.
The Work of Illumination
Perhaps the work of illumination we need to be doing these days isn’t all the external work of trying to get the outdoor lights to come back on or find a way to get warm with all the space heaters we plug in.
Maybe it’s not our New Year’s resolution diet or our fantastic new list of goals. Maybe it’s not in the new gadgets we got over Christmas to help us to become more efficient or trendy or entertained. Maybe it’s not even returning to “normal” once this pandemic is over.
But the work we must do in these dark days is to stoke the slow and steady ember within ourselves and within one another. To fan the flame of a fire that both illuminates and warms us for the long haul.
The flame that is a slow build, but can turn into a roaring fire - one that others can warm themselves by.
Reflect:
What little flame is being cultivated in you as you sit in the cold and darkness of these days?
What warmth, what light has been emerging from within the lights have gone out on the outside?
A Prayer:
Christ,
Make me aflame by Your love. Set me ablaze with Your desire, Your vision, Your dreams that I might burn brightly for all the world to see. Help me to tend to the embers within - of Your compassion, Your grace, and Your love. Help me to recognize Your spark in all I encounter today and fan the flame.
Amen
