You can listen to this week’s Devotional here
Author: Libby Black
The human spirit is the lamp of the LORD that sheds light on one’s inmost being. Proverbs 20:27
Living the Light means many things. It means holding God’s promise – the Light of Hope – that God’s world can be a more peaceful and just place. It means carrying that light of hope out into the world. It means following the example of Jesus by shining that light in thought, deed and the hardest part – action.
This is a lot to ask in our messy, unjust and violent world. Taking up the challenge God puts before us is super hard work. Being in the FCC community with people on a similar journey of faith enables me to hear and react to God’s call. I know we are all in different places. Some of us are wondering if we are worthy of the light or trying to find the light. Some of us can only muster enough to receive the comfort and encouragement of the Light. Some of us are asking for the strength to hold and carry God’s Light of Hope. Some of us seek guidance on how to shine the Light and many engage in the church and its ministries as a way to help us shine the Light.
Being present in church as often as I can is especially nurturing for me. Sunday service reminds me of God’s call, stokes the fire, and sends me out to hold, carry and shine the light; to take action as best I can towards a more peaceful and just world. Being together with you at FCC reminds me that I am far from alone in this work.
From deep in my heart, thank you, for you are among the greatest gifts God has given me. You, also, lift me up and sustain me.
Blessed Are You Who Bear the Light
By Jan Richardson
Blessed are you
who bear the light
in unbearable times,
who testify
to its endurance
amid the unendurable,
who bear witness
to its persistence
when everything seems
in shadow
and grief.
Blessed are you
in whom
the light lives,
in whom
the brightness blazes—
your heart
a chapel,
an altar where
in the deepest night
can be seen
the fire that
shines forth in you
in unaccountable faith,
in stubborn hope,
in love that illumines
every broken thing
it finds.
© Jan Richardson from Circle of Grace: A Book of Blessings for the Seasons. janrichardson.com