Be the Glory

The sun will no longer be your light during the day. The light from the moon will no longer be your light at night.The Lord will be your light forever.  God will be your glory.  -- Isaiah 60:19b

The sum of Isaiah 60 is the prophet's encouraging word.  The people have been beaten down, they have little.  They're in exile. Isaiah promises that things are going to change.  God has heard them, seen them. The expansive resources available to them from God's good countenances are there and will be their's -- from material prosperity ("I will turn your copper to gold... v.15) to ethereal brilliance that will light their way. It is an excellent chapter to read in these times of gathering political gloom -- from whichever side you're seeing it.

While the sun and moon are big shiny objects with solid certainty of remaining in place, they don't have the same positive intentionality that set them in motion.  That intention, God by many names, still holds all the brushes and paints to existence as we know it. A minority deny that there is any intention at play in the universe, but the majority of us have had enough spiritual experiences to know there is something profound going on that we can't prove or touch.

This is where Incarnation appears.  Incarnation is where spiritual becoming physical, the invisible becoming visible, and the intangible becoming tangible.  The glory referred to in the verse above is that inner beautiful light that emanates from within us when we are kind, compassionate, generous, collaborative, forgiving, and loving.   The Advent journey is an Incarnational journey of fostering and growing the glory of God's intention for us to be Love in all our interactions - be they commercial, political, religious, familial, personal or interpersonal.  It's a journey into gentleness and kindness -- first to our own sacred image in which we're made, and then to the rest of the world.  In the words of Matthew, the gospel writer, "Don't hide your light under a bushel."  All the power and resources to make a difference in your life and the lives of those around you grows from purposely demonstrating the wealth available in your own spiritual connection with Love that has always built and is building the universe with your partnership. 

Prayer:
Grant us the courage to shine Love into the world at every turn.  Amen.

Actionable Suggestions:

1. Arrange time to hang out with positive people through Advent.  You could call these get-togethers sun and moon meetings.
2. Practice being an advocate for Light by calling people on their negativity -- in a loving way of course!  In every way possible, offer alternatives rather than just chastising for wrong.
3. Think about getting a therapist or spiritual director to work on any parts of yourself that perpetually trip you up and throw you into negativity.