Everything Has Changed
Joyful Mystery #3: Nativity by James B. Janknegt , Copyright of James B. Janknegt. www.bcArtFarm.com Used with artist's permission
This devotional was written to be shared with my congregation, Mount Olivet United Methodist Church. We abruptly had to cancel all in-person worship services, beginning with Christmas Eve 2021, due to the rising COVID-19 infection rates in our area.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.—John 1:5
Christ has come and the world may not feel any different than it did yesterday. The build-up to Christmas can almost be too much and this year, well the build-up may have left you feeling let down because we are at home, again, because of a virus we cannot see continues to spread. For some of us today is a day off of work to sleep in, rest, and spend time with our families. For others, it is business as usual working in hospitals or restaurants, being home by yourself, or maybe you're sitting in the same fireside chair as you were last year wondering how much longer the pandemic will last.
The Great Light shines in the darkness, and it does not feel any different than it did yesterday or last week. However, the world has been forever changed. Christ has come, and the lowly shepherds and travelers from the East will come to pay him homage. Time will now be marked differently. The world may not seem any different but what happened 2000 years ago in a manger continues to change the world.
The light of Christ is an invitation to the world, stretching beyond borders and inviting the world into a new covenant.
The light of Christ shines into the darkness we have been living in since March 2020.
The light of Christ cannot be overcome by the darkness, we cannot outrun it, and it is always with us.
Entering the world through the manger and not the palace of Caesar, Christ signals the priorities of the Kingdom of God, priorities that look different from the world in which he was born. The meek will be strong, and the first shall be last. The darkness will not over the Light, for the light will always shine into the darkness.
The birth of Christ is an invitation to each of us to step out of the darkness created by the systems that keep the meek meek and the first first. The birth of the Christ child is an invitation to each of us to step out of the darkness and in the grace of God, love given to each of us freely regardless of where we fall on the social pecking order. Love that stands with us during pandemics, strife, and the unknown.
Everything has changed. Nothing will be the same. Christ is here. The Messiah has come, and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Today we celebrate the incomprehensible inbreaking of the holy God getting physical with creation. As present then as he is now.
A great light is shining and the darkness we lived in will never overcome it.
Prayer
Thank you, Lord, for the gift of Emmanuel. May the light shining from the manger shine brightly in me. Let today be a new day in which I step out of the darkness of my own life and into the light of your grace. Amen.