A Revealing Light

The true light that gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. -- John 1:7 (Christian Standard Bible)

The word used in the Greek for light is phos.  In the Greek semantic nuance, phos is the kind of light that reveals something.  John is saying there is a revelation here for all to see, and you're all going to know it.  Given that most of us have read ahead in the story, we already know what gets revealed is the forerunner bearing the essence of God.  This forerunner has the lamp that will light our pathway to a new place we've not been taken before.  The prophets of old foretold it.  In our own moments of deep or profound meditation or prayer it is whispered or we lightly touch that revelation.  Something deeper, calmer, more in perfect synch with everything - there, just beyond -- a sweet gentleness just outside the swirling chaos of our busy lives.

Advent is an intentional time to set ourselves apart from all our hustle and bustle; to slip into warm incarnate waters of peaceful spirit and soak in its revelatory light.  In that shimmering mystery, which has been described as angel choirs or cleansing spirit, all fear, anxiety, and stress is vanquished.  We know in that moment what it is simply to Be -- be present and aware, something greater -- beyond what we experience of life when we're scrambling to make ends meet.  In this space of presence and awareness we meet our true self.  The self as God created it -- pure, sacred, in God's own image, able to connect authentically with Divine Purity. God welcomes us.  It is our false self, our ego that lies and tells us no.  Advent calls us to exercise our power to push aside the untrue voices in our heads and put more of our will and spirit into the soft light -- that soft, sweet, gentle light that is pregnant with the infinite possibilities that Jesus opens for us all.

Prayer:

Oh Self-Revealing One gift us with the ability to open ourselves to the revelation of truth and love that Jesus showed us.  Silence all doubts about our goodness in your eyes.  Bless us with beauty and acceptance.  Amen.

Actionable Suggestions:

1. Set a timer for 3 minutes.  Darken the room.  Light a candle.  For the 3 minutes breathe slowly and deeply and focus only on the light of the flame asking it over and over, "What do you have to reveal to me?"
2. Ask Alexa/Google to play Handel's Messiah.  While it plays, try to imagine all the people who have heard it and the places that piece has been played. One outcome from this is a deepening appreciation of the common experiences we share with millions of other people -- around the world and all across time.
3. While you're sitting in a restaurant or at bus stop or anywhere in public, close your eyes and try to name to yourself all the sights that are around you.  This is an exercise in training your brain to notice what is being revealed.  Much that goes on in our life passes us by because we are just checked out from what is being revealed.