"Tight lines" is a blessing fishermen offer each other, a wish for lines taut with the weight of good fish. May God grant that the lines written here be taut with His blessings.
Wednesday, 17 December 2008 | |||
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Never-ending Light | |||
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I look forward each
year to the moment in our Christmas Eve worship when our sanctuary
is in darkness, save for the light of the Advent candles. Then, one
by one, starting from the Christ candle, we begin to light candles held by each
of us, spreading the light throughout the sanctuary. It's a beautiful
moment as we reflect on the light of Christ shining in the
darkness. I'm preparing to preach on the Annunciation, the angel's proclamation in Luke 1:26-38 to Mary that she will be the mother of the Son of God. I'm connecting the promise of verse 33, "his kingdom will never end," with Christ being the light. John 1:5 always moves me when I read it, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." The kingdom Jesus began in His life, death and resurrection is a light that will not be covered or extinguished, a never-ending kingdom, a never-ending light. There's so much darkness in the world and so much darkness in me. This Christmas I pray that we may all receive the promise to Mary of the never-ending kingdom and light of her Son. The Eastern Orthodox Pascha (Easter) service begins Saturday night late. At midnight, the priest comes from behind the screen before the congregation in a crowded but completely dark church. He is holding the only light, a single candle, and he says, "Come receive the light from the never-ending light and glorify Christ, who is risen from the dead." Then they begin to light all the other candles and lights in the church. The lights of Christmas must always connect with the even more brilliant light of Easter, which is the confirmation of the angel's promise that Jesus' kingdom will never end. Not even the darkness of death overcomes the Christ light. May we all receive and enter into His never-ending light. | |||
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Profile |
I am the pastor of Valley Covenant Church in Eugene, Oregon. I love to flyfish and hike along the beautiful rivers in our area. I welcome your comments as I share sermon work in progress and occasional other thoughts.
Thank you for visiting this blog. I invite you also to visit my web page.
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