2nd February, Candlemas
“I, the LORD, have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a light to the nations. Isaiah 42:6
You Lord are the light of the world:help us to see.
Your word is a light for our path:guide us in all we do.
Whatever we say or do:let it be to the glory of God.
A reading from Luke 2: 29- 35
“Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,
as you have promised.
I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people.
He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
and he is the glory of your people Israel.”
Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”
Where will that light shine?
Will it reach the tops of the mountains where the glaciers are fast disappearing?
Will it follow the rivers that flow down from the mountains?
Will it light upon the people who rely on the river for their livelihoods?
Will it herald a bright future for them or pierce their soul as with a sword?
Where will that light shine?
Will it reach the depths of the earth where conglomerates mine for minerals and riches?
Will it reach the depth of the oceans where conglomerates drill for oil and gas?
Will it follow the flow of money that skips lightly past those who labour,
and fills the ever deepening pockets of the wealthy?
Will it herald a bright future for them or pierce their soul as with a sword?
Where will the light shine?
Will it reach the verdant understory deep within the rainforests?
Or will it find that space already punctured by sugar and soy plantations?
Will it be embraced by a rich biodiverse ecosystem –
or will it search desperately for indigenous lives that are no more?
Will it herald a bright future for them or pierce their soul as with a sword?
Where will the light shine?
Will it glitter on the vast whiteness of the poles?
Or will it sink into the void that melting ice has left behind?
Will it bring life to the Arctic tern and the walrus?
Will it be a ray of light for the penguin chick and the polar bear cub?
Will it herald a bright future for them or pierce their soul as with a sword?
Where will the light shine?
Will reach inside apartment blocks split open by bombs?
Will it reach inside the ‘temporary’ abodes of the refugee camp?
Will it reach inside those precarious homes where the need for heat
faces a constant battle with the need to eat?
Will it spotlight communities in need of levelling up?
Will it herald a bright future for them or pierce their soul as with a sword?
For the times we have masked your light so that its message is obscured:
Lord have mercy.
For the times we have refocused your light away from those in need:
Lord have mercy.
For the times we have directed your light away from our own shortcomings:
Lord have mercy.
For the times we have refused to see where your light is pointing:
Lord have mercy.
Renew in us your spark that we may be visible agents of your Kingdom and active agents of your purpose.
Amen.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5
The Green Tau 