The season of Christmas includes the 12 days from December 25 through January 5. On January 6th, we begin the season of Epiphany and mark the arrival of the magi who followed a star to find Jesus. The magi were strangers, foreigners from another land and another religion who saw this sign from God in the heavens and were drawn by its light to follow and find out more.
The primary symbol for the season of Epiphany is light. Light for the whole world. Not just for our family. Not just for our neighborhood. Not just for our own faith community or nation or group. The whole world.
I find this focus on light a little poignant at this time of year when the nights are so long. Though we have passed the solstice and days are getting longer, the sun still rises late and sets early. As I walk my dogs in the early morning without the sun, I am especially grateful for the neighbors who still turn on their holiday lights. Walking in the cold night, I welcome the warm glow of the occasional lights that encourage me on my journey. Those lights help dispel the darkness. They fill me with hope that dawn will come, and the sun will return to my mornings and my evenings.
God brings light to the world. Through Jesus, we see just what that means; love without strings, compassion for all, forgiveness even when it is not easy, justice for the poor and vulnerable, healing for the struggling and broken. As people of God, we are called to try and show the light of God to the world. The whole world. Not just our family, our neighborhood, our own faith community, nation or group.
As we mark this season where the star’s light brought outsiders looking for the infant Jesus, may we each find ways to be the light of God in the lives of those around us. As you make your way around through these long nights this season, let the lights you encounter remind you of the brightness of God’s love, compassion, forgiveness, justice, and healing that surround you and are spread to the world through you.
I guess there are lots of lights out there after all.
Blessings,