We rejoice, for the Light of the World has come to darkness. Jesus Christ is the Light that no darkness can overcome. Advent is a season of preparation as God’s people watch and wait for Christ. We will be pondering the songs found in the gospel of Luke. The song of an old priest named Zechariah. Mary, the pregnant teenager. And angels come to shepherds in the countryside. We ponder these songs and rejoice.
Invocation
Make the sign of the cross, and say,
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation Prayer
Jesus Christ is the Light of the world. The light no darkness can overcome.
Jesus, open our eyes to your light and our ears to your words of hope. Come, O long-expected Jesus. Our hope is in you. Amen.
Word: Luke 1:35
“And the angel answered her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.’”
Meditation: A Gift of Darkness
Today’s meditation is written by Megan Roegner.
One of my favorite poets to read during Advent is Luci Shaw. Shaw, like me, seems transfixed by not only the miracle of the incarnation but also what it meant for the ordinary people caught up in the story, namely Mary. What was it like for a young woman living in the first century to be pregnant before she was married? When Mary heard the angel’s news, was she afraid of the reaction of her betrothed and her parents? Worried about the whispers she was sure to hear behind her back? Before the joy of the Magnificat in Luke 1:46-55, what was on Mary’s mind?
Shaw addresses the complexities of being chosen by God in her poem “The Overshadow”:
The Overshadow
by Luci Shaw
“…. the power of the Most High will overshadow you… “ -Gospel of Luke
When we think of God, and
angels, and the Angel,
we suppose ineffable light.
So there is surprise in the air
when we see him bring to Mary,
in her lit room, a gift of darkness.
What is happening under that
huge wing of shade? In that mystery
what in-breaking wildness fills her?
She is astonished and afraid; even in
that secret twilight she bends her head,
hiding her face behind the curtain
of her hair; she knows that
the rest of her life will mirror
this blaze, this sudden midnight.
I am captivated by this poem, particularly Shaw’s phrase, “a gift of darkness.” Mary Oliver, another poet I love, uses a similar line in her poem “The Uses of Sorrow,” when she says,
Someone I loved once gave me
a box full of darkness.
It took me years to understand
that this, too, was a gift.
Mary’s story reminds me that great things are never easy. Before we bask in the light, growth starts in the darkness: the disquietude, and sometimes fear, that pushes us to transform and become something new.
As we approach the bleakest part of the year, as we face uncertainties and turmoil, perhaps we, like Mary, can see the darkness not as the absence of God, but as proof of his presence, his shadow as he stretches over us, doing great things.
Father, give us courage like Mary. Help us always to see you at work, even in the shadows. Amen.
Prayer for Rest
· For physical, mental, and emotional health.
· For times of joy, delight, and leisure.
· For a Sabbath day free from work, tasks, and stress.
· For a holy time of worship.
Closing Prayer
Lord God, Heavenly Father, in this weary world, the valley of the shadow of death, grant me rest in your illuminating love and eternal life. Amen!