“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”
John 1:5
Hello everyone and happy Epiphany!
So, I have a confession to make: I am the world’s worst (or best depending on how you look at it) procrastinator. And my one resolution this year was to stop procrastinating. Hmmm. This post was to have gone out on the Feast of Epiphany which, as you may remember, was over a week ago.
So much for resolutions…
Anyway, we are at least in the season of Epiphany, a season to celebrate the journey of the Wise Men to Bethlehem and the manifestation of God’s love to all people.
We were talking about the first Epiphany in a recent Bible study when I had my own epiphany (no pun intended. Well maybe.)
The Wise Men looked at a star in the sky and recognized in its light a sign that something special was happening; something worth leaving their homes and families to discover. But then I realized that nearly everyone else on the planet looked at that same star each night. The good news proclaiming God’s presence among us was right there, shining in the darkness. It was up there for all to see but only three men truly saw it.
That was a wake-up call for me. How many things do I look at each day and take for granted? How many people do I walk by but never notice? How alert to the presence of God am I? What things am I not seeing?
My thoughts led me into a conversation with God and that led me to do something that I’ve never done before: I asked God for a word.
There is a spiritual tradition of asking God for a word at the beginning of a new year, a word to meditate on and carry throughout the year.
So I asked and the word that came almost immediately was “Rejoice.”
“Rejoice”. It’s a word that I’ve probably only used in worship. It is not part of my everyday vocabulary. The first connection I made, oddly enough, was to the song “Rejoice” on U2’s second album “October.”
It’s falling, it’s falling
And outside a building comes tumbling down
And inside a child on the ground
Says he’ll do it again
You can interpret the words in various ways, but I think they reference the darkness of religious violence.
What do you do when you’re surrounded by such overwhelming darkness?
Here’s where the song gets good.
And what am I to do?
Just tell me what am I supposed to say?
I can’t change the world
But I can change the world in me
If I rejoice
“If I rejoice”
Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by the darkness enveloping our country that I become paralyzed with anger. I want to change the world but forget that change begins with me. And the change inside of me begins with rejoicing: in God’s love, in God’s presence and for all the wonderful gifts God showers on us. Rejoicing leads to an open heart and to eyes that truly see God at work in the world.
You can’t fight darkness with more darkness. You can only overcome darkness with light and that is what we are called to be: light.
Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world,
Philippians 2:14-15
I’m working out what “rejoice” will look like for me. It might look different at different times of the year. One thing I will try to do is carry the joy of Epiphany with me always.
Wishing you light and hope,
Mark
Divine Overtones 