During the four weeks of Advent, we have the opportunity to acknowledge the illuminating power of the Light. Life’s challenges illuminate uniquely. In the midst of them, the light shines and we enter into a new relationship with reality even when it’s hard. Christ, the eternally shining light, is present with us always.
One of the healing gifts of the Light is that it makes visible what is often otherwise invisible in all our lives. Fear. Uncertainty. Insecurity. These are real, normal human emotional experiences. In naming them and facing them, deep healing and learning become possible.
What if, this Advent season, we allowed the light of Christ to shine into what’s real? What if in the midst of challenges–the old ones we’ve carried for decades and the new ones we encounter each day–we make space for the Light to illuminate? What if we step into this season without a hefty holiday agenda and instead just work on breathing in and out and opening up to whatever kinds of illumination would lead to our individual and collective healing?
This Advent may Jesus open our hearts to recognize life anew.
This message is an excerpt from “Why we celebrate four weeks in Advent” by Emily Anne Carson in the December 2019 issue of Café.
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