INSPIRING LUMINARIA
With each votive candle that is lit
The light within becomes brighter
Seen in faces glowing in the darkness.
In the glow of the luminaria
I cannot help but be grateful for
the twelve months since we last lit up the night.
One little votive candle would barely
have been visible on its own
but illumines brightly when multiplied.
The lit pathways bring to mind the angels
singing their glorias to shepherds
directing them to the manger scene.
Along the way, do you think they were offered
cups of creamy hot cocoa and fancy
fancy coffees topped with whipped cream?
By the glow of simple candles or by
the light of each sparkling star
the love of Christ brilliantly shines.
Luke 1:39-45
New Revised Standard Version
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
Amazed in God’s Presence
Mary and Elizabeth give us important examples of how to be aware of the ways God is working in our lives, even when confusion could be overtaking us.
This past Monday, I stood in amazement at the wonders of our Creator! How many different types of brushes were used in painting the sky that day? It was sunny and the canvas was azure. White was applied in wide feathered streaks from the east and the west, then from the north and the south. Topping off the show was a bright light towards the center, and it was all reflected in the water. It was doubly grand to see the beauty all in one view!
Oh, that we might look at the whole of life in that way, amazing and wonderfully painted by the hand of God with amazing sweeps and divine love intimately touching our lives. In those moments we release our worries and feel renewed.
God’s love and peace to you as we journey together in this Advent Season.
Marta
Rev. Marta Wheeler
To view or download a PDF version of this devotional, click here: Devotional MW 2021-12-16