Almighty God, Give us grace to cast away the works of darkness and to put on the armor of light now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility that on the last day when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen BCP 211
As I sit and write this it is snowing hard outside. Many are home from school and work. Life in New England in the winter is one of nesting inside, of paying attention to the weather and listening. LIstening to what it is telling us and listening to what we know to be safe, smart and healthy. It has taken me many years to discover that staying put, listening and being present is just as useful as bulling my way around. I came from Maine; I can drive in anything. Being able to drive and be safe when I need to is very different from making decisions that fly in the face of common sense. Oh how long it takes some of us to learn. God is so wonderful and patient, so calm and gracious.
The church begins its new year on Advent 1. During that first week of advent the collect uses beautiful language that I believe can serve us throughout the year:
"Almighty God, Give us grace to cast away the works of darkness and to put on the armor of light". During this time of the year it is easy for many of us to feel the presence of darkness in ways we don't at other times. The days are shorter, the sun is out less, and the cold is hard for many. I would like us to think about this from a different perspective. Perhaps, this is the time of the year when we are being called to take the time to reflect, to get quiet and listen. The prayer asks us to cast away, asks us to take action. We are asking for God's help, but we need to make the decision to first notice the works of darkness and then be willing to push them aside for light and love.
What are works of darkness? My guess is for each of us that will mean something different. I would also suggest that we also are being called to look at corporate darkness. By this I am talking about the world around us. Each of us lives in a community and all we need do is look around and see the areas of darkness that cast a shadow on all of our lives. As Episcopalians we are called to hold our personal journey and our lives in community in tension. One is very often a reflection of the other.
As individuals we have the faith journey that is our personal path with God. Each one of us knows the ways that we can push God to the side. There are actions that we do not take because we know they are wrong. The obvious sins of murder, theft, adultery are ones that most of us can reflect on and breathe a deep sigh of relief. If we are not careful, we can feel a bit superior or righteous about ourselves. Aren't we good!
Are we good or are we safe? When we are in any relationship, it requires time, attention and commitment. Those people that have made the biggest difference in our lives are the very people that we may struggle with, the people that know our flaws and our gifts. God knows us in ways that we will never know ourselves. The life of faith is the journey of discovery, the journey of coming to know God through the lens of our lives. When we stay on the surface of our life experience, we cannot have an experience of God in an authentic way. We must continue to have the courage to cast out the darkness of greed and fear, resentment and anger. Each of us has those places in our lives that we want to hide, maybe even from ourselves, but certainly from others. Those are the very places that God most wants to shine light. There is nothing you have thought of or done that God doesn't know about, or that someone else hasn't struggled with. When we ask God to grant us the grace to cast out the darkness, what would that mean for you?
We see darkness each time we turn on the TV or our computer screen. Just last week an nine year old girl was killed in Tucson, Arizona. She was beginning to be interested in politics and the world around her. US Representative Gabrielle Giffords was to speak outside the local grocery store and this young girl wanted to see her, wanted to hear her speak. That same morning a young man woke up to a new day. We have found out since that he struggles with many emotional demons, but on that day, his anger and distorted reality caused him to shoot nineteen people. Among them was the nine year old girl who died on the scene. The US Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has at this point survived being shot in the head. Help us to cast away the darkness. This was a normal day in Tucson, Arizona, a day to go to the grocery store, meet someone new, a day like any other day. Yet, on this January 8, 2011, the world stood still for many.
LIving in community is how we are created. We are called to live together, to love and learn. But, the many ways that we each experience darkness is reflected in society each day. We struggle with the fear of not having enough which manifests in greed and poverty. The need for power and security is as pervasive in our society today as it has since time began. The gap between those with and those on the margins continues to widen. That deep dark place within us that feels empty continues to manifest in division, discrimination and hatred. Organized religions of the world continue to struggle with these very same issues. How often do the barriers that we set up between ourselves and the world stop us from shinning God's light in those dark places. I would suggest this happens every day.
As we begin this new year, we have so much to be grateful for. Central to our gratitude can be the persistent and yet, very patient love of God. We are called to be a people of love and light. We are called to look at the other and look for the face of Jesus.
What would our lives be like if we were to make a conscious decision to cast away the darkness, to really ask God to help us push it aside and watch, breathe, and come to know the light and love of God. This is a new year, let us not make promises that we can't keep, or even ones that matter little in the scheme of things. Let us pray for God's love and guidance to be present to ourselves and our relationship with God. Let us pray for the courage and faith to be part of the world around us in ways that God calls us to.
"Gracious God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light.
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