Thursday, December 12, 2019

The Season of Light


As mentioned here before, I recently read a book entitled Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson on the Community, Calling and Mystery of Making.

This simple trio of words has sort of captivated me: Adorn the Dark – let them roll around in your heart and ask yourself where do they resonate with you?

Where do they land?

How do they beckon a response?

To adorn is to make more beautiful or attractive and we all know the darkness we are faced within our world each day. Think of all the adorning we do this time of year especially through lights – lights on trees and homes, candles bringing a glow to tables, young and old finding magic and wonder in the lights of the Advent season, which is from the Latin word Adventus meaning coming or arrival.

Adorning the Dark is not giving victory to the darkness. It is giving light wings, wind and whispers of beauty to a world that desperately need to truly see the Light of the World.

This happens in the simple lighting of a candle, the ordinary sharing of a meal, opening the Word together and extending grace and kindness in thousands of big and small ways. In each of these ways and more, we put out little sparkles of light that speak to who God is in us and moves out to the darkness around us.

But the impact is farther reaching than just a spark of light to those who might be close enough to see it. Sharing light is of eternal value and is for all of us an opportunity to grow and stretch our faith muscles. It is an opportunity to creatively live out the gifting that God has invested in you individually which means that adorning the dark will look different for each of us. This is not the time to over-think or compare, this is just the time to shine.

With Advent upon us, we think of light maybe more this time of year than any other and maybe those who don’t yet know this light will be more receptive because it is the season of light.

We watch the lights of the Advent candles get brighter each week as we approach the celebration of the ultimate adorning of the dark that happened over two thousand years ago when the Light of the World stepped away from the place where pure, holy Light radiates from every crevice of Heaven and came to this Earth where the throne of darkness gets darker and darker each day it seems. The events of that adorning have rolled and surged through history and yes, even through us as our display of light connects us like millions of branches on the eternal family tree tracing its roots all the way to the source of True Light and compels us to follow His beautiful example.

Matthew 5:14-16 reminds us that we are, “the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

This is the cumulative impact of what it would visually look like if each of you offered a single spark of light even once. You can see how this multiplies rapidly as we repeat this offering again and again and again throughout our lifetimes.

Consider how light reflects as in a mirror, imagine how that glorifies our God to reflect His light back onto Him through sharing it with others.

How will you give yourself to the adorner of the dark this Advent as we anticipate and celebrate with joy His coming and arrival to adorn our lives with light in every season?

* Amazon affiliate link provided for the book above.

2 comments:

Leanne said...

I am so thankful for you blog in many ways! Especially now that, after burning the candle at both ends, I was diagnosed with pneumonia this morning... it's a comfort to have such a precious example of another friend who has walked through this... I loved the wreath you made pictured on instagram this morning!
Blessings,
Leanne

Monica Wilkinson said...

Oh no! So sorry Leanne! Hope you can get some rest and recover quickly! Take care, friend.