well and spring

 

First, a couple of pleasant stories about wells and women, from Genesis.

In the 24th chapter of Genesis, Abraham, having grown old at last, sees it is time his son Isaac was married, and sends a servant back home to the old country to find him a bride from among ‘our own people’. He stops by a well where the women of the town come to get water for the camels. He prays that the one among them whom he asks for water will be the one to be the bride. And so it turns out. Rebecca gives him a drink and also offers to water the camels. She’s the one.

Five chapters and a generation later, Rebecca and Isaac send their son Jacob back to the old country to find a bride – from among ‘our own people’. By a well he sees men watering their sheep. And then a young woman arrives. Rachel. He rolls the stone away from the mouth of the well and waters her sheep. He’s the one.

Two - shall we try for a third? The third evokes the pattern, and breaks it. Jesus may be thirsty, be resting by a well after a long journey, and asking for a drink from a woman he has not seen before. She knows him for a stranger. To her he is not ‘our own people’ - and likewise for him. This is not ‘in the family’ - except that the family expands, to become the kingdom of God.

 He has no bucket, nothing to use to draw the water up from the well. He asks her to give him a drink. 

He is a man, and a Jew; she is a woman, and a Samaritan. Jews and Samaritans had nothing to do with each other; literally, they had no time for each other. They did not co-ordinate, co-exist, as a rule. But here they are. 

She is pretty sharp. She asks him some questions. But his answers are not practical, but spiritual. If you knew who was asking, you would ask him for living water. 

Well water is still. Living water is running water. Sweeter, healthier. Endless. Like the Spirit. And it is flowing forth, from Jesus, and then – from her.

Then – ‘go, call your husband’. He sees her. More deeply than anyone else. And, seeing her, he loves her.

The disciples come back from town. They’ve bought food. But Jesus says he has food they don’t know about. To do the work his father has sent him to do. That is sustenance – bread from heaven, bread for the world. And that is what the woman will share. 

During their conversation, Jesus has asked her some piercing questions. Piercing yet loving. When she goes to town it is as if her testimony is this:

“I felt seen.” 

Humility, courage, joy, overcome shame: she went to the very people who may have shunned her (she went to the well in the middle of the day) to testify, even as it included her own sins: “he told me everything I had ever done”.  Spreading the good news, doing that work of the kingdom of God, overwhelmed and overpowered any sense of shame. For she knows, not only that he perceived her, but that, knowing her fully, he loved her completely. That is good news to share. How do we share such good news?

***

If You Want to Be 'Seen,' Try Seeing Others

Froma Harrop on Mar 3, 2026 (Arizona Daily Star)

I recently came across a curious headline: "The Retirement Crisis No One Warns You About: Mattering." Very few people leaving the workplace have prepared for losing a big part of their identity, according to the Wall Street Journal article. They long to "feel seen" in the next chapter of life.

Much has been written about the desire to "be seen" or "feel valued" or "to matter." And not only for retirees….

In a culture that can feel relentlessly impersonal, it's common to feel overlooked. Still, remedies exist. First on the list, if you want to be seen, see others.…

https://www.arcamax.com/politics/fromtheleft/fromaharrop/s-4028220

***

“I felt seen” - Who doesn’t want to feel that, from the people that matter to us, the people that matter to us always and the people that matter to us in that moment? If we are the clerk giving change, eye contact and a thank-you would be welcome (not to be acknowledged by “uh-huh”) just as much as if we are the person receiving it. When I got home from college, at the airport I was met by cheerful parents; at home, the old collie summoned excitement at my arrival. When we tell the doctor our symptoms we want his attention on us not his AI assistant. When we speak to someone of something vitally important (or even trivial, to the uninformed) we want our listener to PAY ATTENTION. Don’t we?

Imagine something much deeper in import and in value: paying attention to our souls. To feel seen deep within - and still loved. “He told me everything I had ever done” – everything! and still he loved me – “could he be Christ?”

That is what is happening, in this strangers’ encounter at the well in the middle of the day. The disciples return from town with food, see what is happening, are surprised, but know better than to interrupt. Because what is really going on is the work for which the Christ was sent. As he puts it, he has “food ye know not of” – that is, to be doing the work of grace is food.

My food is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

Which is to convey grace. Grace, forgiveness, wholeness. Healing. Salvation.

The woman leaves her water-jar on the spot and goes into town. She goes to the very people who may have shunned her, who surely knew about her past, some of the ‘everything’ she has done, and it is to them that she says, I felt seen. And loved. 

Notice she does not leave it there, at the well. The good news, the living water, that she now has herself to share, is more life-giving than any well-water that her jug ever could contain. And it flowed out of his soul to hers, and from hers onwards. So it spreads. The people come out of the town. And the Messiah dwells among them. The Word, which from time immemorial and before any time, is the source of life, now is dwelling among people.

And he speaks with them. Drinks from their well. He sees them. And, seeing them, he loves them. 

And we are invited to share that living water, that grace, in the water of baptism, in the food that is Eucharist, and in the food that is doing his will.

May we do so with the good grace that is bestowed upon us to share. Amen.

***

Genesis 24:13-14 (KJV): Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master. (Photo of UA undergraduate Dylann Kate Sweeney and friend, during her study abroad in Morocco)

[https://alumni.arizona.edu/arizona-magazine/arizona-magazine/winter-2026]

8 March 2026

Third Sunday in Lent

• Exodus 17:1-7
• Romans 5:1-11
• John 4:5-42
• Psalm 95

kingdom, power, glory ...

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth. You guide us through the wilderness, to the land of your abundance. You guide us through times of trial, and lead us into the place of peace. You refresh us when we are weak, or lonely, or in despair, and give us strength to bear good news into your world.

May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts and the deeds of our hands, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.

America’s best soldier quit his job four times. He resigned three times from the military: first as a Colonel,  second as an honorary brigadier general of the militia,and third as Commander in chief of the regular army. And fourth…

America’s best soldier made a lot of mistakes: setting up a fort in the middle of a swamp surrounded by hills…

Being defeated and retreating several times…

But when it counted, he stayed the course…

And when victory was one or the job was done or it was simply time to go

He resigned. He went home.

George Washington

Born February 22, 1732

When he was a young colonial officer in the Virginia militia, he was sent into the western wilderness, the wilds of Ohio beyond the Appalachian mountains,  to engage in battle with the French, and I think that he was the one who ‘opened the ball’ – that is, began the first firefight– of what became the French and Indian war, known globally as the seven years war between France and England.

But it became clear to him that colonials were not held in the same respect as British regulars, and so he resigned his commission as Colonel. 

But soon he was called back into service and eventually put in charge of all Virginia troops.  

The time came when his work was done, and he resigned his commission and went home and got married and began the life of a gentleman farmer in Virginia.

Then it became clear to him that America needed to become independent of Great Britain, and so he put his uniform on again and became commander-in-chief of all the continental forces of the nascent United States of America.

When that job was done, and independence was won, he bid his officers farewell at Fraunces Tavern in New-York and reported to Congress in Annapolis and resigned his commission and went home…

To the life once again of a gentleman Virginia farmer.

But the United States in its infancy did not have cohesion; they were a loose confederacy and they needed a form of government that would last, and so he went to Philadelphia to serve his country once again, and presided over a convention which created a constitution. 

Part of that constitution was describing the chief executive: after having described the Congress in the first article, the second article of the new constitution described the president. It was a portrait, actually, of the right person for the job.

Everyone knew who the first person to take that job should be.

But the day came when that job was done.

And he knew that it was important that power be transferred peacefully.

And he resigned.

And went home for the last time to the life of a gentleman Virginia farmer.

***

I’m bringing him up not just because this is his birthday, but because he in his day, as we in ours, struggled with temptations–

Temptations, for glory. for power, and for kingdom–

When he became president, it was a time when there was no such thing as a government without monarchy, and there were people who held out to make him King, but he refused. He refused that temptation for the good of the people, the country and his own soul.

When his men were starving in the snows of Valley Forge, he could’ve capitulated. He could’ve given it up and they could’ve walked into warm Philadelphia as prisoners, and that would’ve been the end of the United States of America.

“Plenty of bread here! Only worship us and you can eat. You have the power to feed your men– just say the word…”

But he resisted that temptation.

And he resisted the temptation of despair, of just giving up and hoping that God will take care of him. He resisted all temptations thrown at him.

Not to him were temptations exactly as the Temptations of Jesus.

And he was no secular Messiah.

He was the man of the hour, the father of his country, someone who had lifelong trained himself for the job and succeeded in it.

But he was not Messiah. He was a vestry member of an Episcopal Church. He was the husband of a wife, the father and grandfather to stepchildren, a soldier, a farmer, and a statesman.

***

In our time we face our own temptations as a people and individually: temptation to grasp for security, the first temptation: Jesus faced was the temptation to seek first for material security, and not for obedience to God and dependence on God.

The second temptation was simply temptation to test whether God really loved him. 

Should’ve been obvious. A call to despair and doubt:

It was a test of his own fear. Do I have faith strong enough?

The third temptation Jesus faced was to subordinate himself, to the will and power of someone not God: it would’ve been so much easier to end the conflict and simply give in and be rewarded… to be a king– like Herod!

Jesus passed all the tests: he passed through the furnace of doubt, temptation, the lure of despair, the lure of ambition.

And then he was ready to serve.

###

What we see from then on, is Jesus’ acts of compassion, words of truth to power, and ability to give from apparently nothing but faith a greater abundance, suzerainty, and self-confidence, than any tempter could provide. Strength in faith. 

Give us this day our daily bread. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done. The power, the kingdom, the glory: all are yours O God. 

Those are the three temptations in reverse. Power, Kingdom. Glory. All of which belong to God. 

And Jesus is content to rest in the same hands that hold those three realities. 

*** 

It goes all the way back to that first temptation. Because he lived not for himself but for us. He did not betray us for a crust of bread. He did not sell us out to rule. He did not need to prove anything, for himself or for us, and in that he showed the strength of faith that he gave us. He did not surrender to temptation. And he kept the faith to the end. 

***

Of course our temptations will be different from Jesus – and George Washington. But the call to faithfulness is the same.

The challenge for us is this: are we ready to be servants of love, not rescuers; challengers of self-seeking ambition, not power-seekers; active in perseverance, not passive victims of doubt? Are we ready to live, not by bread alone, but in hope, and faith, and love, by the sure and certain promise, and presence, and challenge, of the word of God?

Are we ready to be transformed? To be servants of God? Proclaimers of his word?

To trust God, serve him only, and become bread for the world?

Lent is a call to conversion, to taking responsibility for our own growth and development as people of faith: for our own behavior, as individuals, and as a community, for all the emotional, intellectual, moral, religious, social and political, and economic aspects of our lives. That is our challenge, and our calling.

How do we in our world acknowledge that the power, the kingdom, and the glory belong to God? How do we see that kingdom come in our lives? Our world? Our community? Our church? 

How do we reveal our dependence on God for our daily sustenance, thank him, and share it? 

How do we share the gifts of providence, thinly spread or overwhelmingly abundant, that we have received?

How do we acknowledge that all things come from him, and in that knowledge offer our gifts?

God is the source of all blessing.

***

***

God of the desert, as we follow Jesus into the unknown, may we recognize the tempter when he comes; let it be your bread we eat, your world we serve, and you alone we worship. Amen.

(New Zealand Prayer Book, 573)

First Sunday in Lent

He did not betray us for a crust of bread.

--Ladislaus Boros, In Time of Temptation (translated by Simon and Erika Young)

http://edgeofenclosure.org/lent1c.html

• Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7

• Romans 5:12-19

• Matthew 4:1-11

• Psalm 32

This Sunday being "Temptation" Sunday - and the actual anniversary of the birth of our first president - I looked for  a way to tie together seeking kingdom, power, and glory, for oneself, to both.  

The first president had military and legislative experience, commanding Virginia militia in the French and Indian War, the Continental Army, and federal troops during an insurrection (Whiskey Rebellion) and presiding over the Constitutional Convention,  but his first civilian role in public administration I think was as president. I like it that he resigned twice from the militia, once from the army, and then retired from the Presidency after his second term (Farewell Address of September 19, 1796) -- ensuring a peaceful and model succession. As every (public) school child would know. 

https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Washington

https://ndupress.ndu.edu/Portals/68/Images/jfq/jfq-109/arnold-2.jpg

https://open.substack.com/pub/inpursuit/p/george-washington-by-george-w-bush

perfect in weakness

Jesus said, "The first commandment is this: Hear, O Israel:
The Lord your God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your
God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your
mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: Love
your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment
greater than these."    Mark 12:29-31

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the
truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God, who is
faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.    1 John 1:8,9

Penitential Order II, Book of Common Prayer (USA, 1979)

Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

• Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
• Romans 5:12-19
• Matthew 4:1-11
• Psalm 32 

Psalm 32 expresses both a sense of sin and the joy of forgiveness of sins confessed. Those who trust in the Lord and are made righteous after repentance rejoice. It is holding on to sin without seeking the mercy of God that would shut us out from the enjoyment of grace. So Lent is an invitation to joy, to release from the darkness of sin and then fulfillment of the promise of life in the sunlight of God's mercy. 

“My grace is sufficient for you, for [my] power is made perfect in weakness.” So I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor 12.9-10, NRSVue)

“My grace is enough for you, because power is made perfect in weakness.” So I’ll gladly spend my time bragging about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power can rest on me. Therefore, I’m all right with weaknesses, insults, disasters, harassments, and stressful situations for the sake of Christ, because when I’m weak, then I’m strong. (2 Cor 12.9-10, CEB)

Presentation

Almighty and everliving God, we humbly pray that, as your only-begotten Son was this day presented in the temple, so we may be presented to you with pure and clean hearts by Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Today we celebrate a feast that bears a variety of titles: The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, commonly called The Purification of Saint Mary the Virgin, aka Candlemas - or in Spanish, Candelaria, and also known as The Meeting, as in the meeting of Simeon and Anna with Jesus.

All these titles have meaning, all converge on this day, the feast at the beginning of February, forty days after the Nativity. And on this day, both the day of the parish annual meeting, and of considerable turmoil in our society, there is much to learn from each title.

The Purification:

As Leviticus 12 provides, a mother giving birth is ritually impure and “shall not touch any holy thing or come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed” - in the case of a male child, forty days after she bears her son. Then she shall make an offering at the Temple, including a lamb, or, “If she cannot afford a sheep, she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a purification offering, and the priest shall make atonement on her behalf, and she shall be clean.” 

[“A person in a state of impurity is not allowed to touch holy objects, enter the Temple precincts, partake of sacred foods, or (in the case of a menstruating woman, a woman after childbirth, or a woman with a flux of blood) have marital contact.” ODJR 350] 

In accordance with the law, Mary makes a sacrifice so that she is cleansed from the state of ritual impurity that comes as a result of childbirth. Now she will again be able to participate in the full ceremonial life of her community.

None of this implies sin, just ritual impurity. The point is that she, and Joseph, are completing the fulfillment of the law, as in this as in all things, they are faithful people. Throughout his life, this child, Jesus, fulfills the law, and fulfills the expectation of humanity and the promise of God.

The Presentation:

In presenting her firstborn son to the Lord, Joseph and Mary fulfill the law as laid out in the book of Exodus. 

“Consecrate to me all the firstborn; whatever is the first to open the womb among the Israelites, of human beings and animals, is mine.” (13:2)

“The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me.” (22:29b)

Again the gospel makes the point that in all things Jesus is the fulfillment of the law. 

He is also the fulfillment of promise, and the promise of future fulfillment. 

Anna the prophet “began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem,” – looking for a Savior, the Messiah, to free them from the oppression of sin and the fear of death.

The Meeting: 

And Simeon, “righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel,” saw in this child what he had been looking for, even living for. And he took the child into his arms and said a prayer of praise and blessing. 

Anna and Simeon welcomed the child and offered God their blessings and praise. But in their prophetic words was not only hope but a warning. 

A savior for all is not welcomed by some. Having sung his Nunc dimittis, his song of blessing and farewell, Simeon goes on to say to Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed – and a sword will pierce your own soul too.” 

It will become personal. It may touch you directly. And that is a warning we ourselves may take to heart as well. 

Candlemas/Candelaria:

Over the centuries of the Church, a tradition has formed, to enter the sanctuary in procession on this festival day carrying candles newly blessed, and singing a song - the Nunc dimittis. We bless the candles in worship this Candlemas, this Candelaria, for use throughout the year. These little lights of thine and mine sing out the glory of the Lord, the light of Christ. 

In him appeared life and this life was the light of humankind. The light still shines in the darkness and the darkness has never put it out. (John 1:3-5)

As we bear forth this light into the world we bring with us the good news of the redemption of the world through Christ. And we carry with us the joy and the warning of the prophets. 

[“The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight-- indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire …”]

We may be called upon to bear uncomfortable witness. In our calling to bear his light into the world, we may ourselves encounter darkness, despair, and fear. But we are not alone, and we are not the first. We follow our Savior’s footsteps.

When Simeon gave his blessing to the Holy Family, I wonder what he said to them. The words most appropriate might well have been these, which the child grown to adulthood said to his own chosen family, his disciples:  

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for yours is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you that mourn, for you shall be comforted.

“Blessed are the meek, for you shall inherit the earth.

“Blessed are you that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for you shall receive fullness.

“Blessed are the merciful, for you shall receive mercy.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for you shall see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for you shall be called children of God.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for yours is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." 

• Matthew 5:1-12

• Malachi 3:1-4
• Hebrews 2:14-18
• Luke 2:22-40
• Psalm 84
• or Psalm 24:7-10

First Sunday after Christmas

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the one to rule them all?

[— and in the darkness bind them!]

In the name of God, source of all being, eternal word, and holy spirit. Amen.

Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. 

(BCP 1979. Contemporary Collect for the First Sunday after Christmas Day)

Almighty God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him and as at this time to be born of a pure Virgin: Grant that we, being regenerate — born anew – and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen. 

(BCP 1662)

Eternal light, scatter the darkness from our hearts and minds, enlighten our lives with your glory, and give us the power and wisdom to live as sons and daughters of God;  — as children of light — through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, O Father, and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

David Adam, Glimpses of Glory (SPCK, 2000) 18.

What does it mean to be children of light? The first chapter of the gospel of John presents a very different Jesus to our eyes. Christmas morning there was a Baby. Today, the first Sunday after Christmas, we hear that “in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God” – and that the Word has become flesh: the uncreated source of all being greets us from the cradle. 

Before the beginning the Word was with God. The presence of God among us, Emmanuel, is the Word through whom all things came to be. But the Word was there before – before there was a before! God expressed himself: and that self-expression was with God, and that self-expression was God, for only God could be that Word.

Yet that which caused all things to be, came among us, in the form of Jesus, in whom the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. And for all those who choose to receive him, that very fullness becomes available to us. We can receive it, into ourselves. And live its reality. 

Beyond the duties of church and family and nation, beyond our duties to ourselves, is the gift of following the one true light, found in Christ Emmanuel. God with us. That uncreated light, that presence, is present to us. 

And we can become children of light: as we accept its radiance. 

What does it mean to be children of light? Today when darkness is around us, how do we take in the luminous presence of God and let it shine forth in our lives? 

Only a few days ago the literal darkness of the winter night began to recede as the longest night of the year receded into the past. Only a few days ago the brightness of the everlasting dawning which is the presence of our Savior became manifest, once again, as we welcomed the child Jesus. 

And now we can become children ourselves again as we welcome again the presence of the Lord, the presence of the light, as we receive grace upon grace, love beyond love, in our inner lives – and in our outer lives as well.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the one to rule them all? There are plenty of self-nominated candidates who seek to answer this question. In our own past century Mao, Stalin, Saddam Hussein, and others, who put up vast posters of themselves, and statues, pushed themselves forward. Memento Park in Budapest is full of Soviet-era statues of self-nominated angels of light.

Back in the days of the Nativity, there was one simple answer to who is the one to rule them all: “In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus…”

Caesar Augustus was ubiquitous, his image – and his troops – everywhere. Client kings like Herod the Great and his dubious offspring knew who was the boss. All the world — that is, the Roman, ‘civilized’, subjugated, world, knew who was boss. 

He was even proclaimed “savior of the world’ – that Roman world; for he has solved the problem of internecine war and inter-office bickering. No more civil war. Because he had won. He had defeated, and slaughtered, his rivals. Peace. 

Pax Romana. Pax Augusta. Peace in his time. In his way. Under his authority. 

Not.

The little baby we greeted this week of Christmas had something else to say. 

Before Augustus was, I AM. Before the beginning, when there was no light, no life, he was life, and light, and love. What Caesar Augustus ruled was darkness, not light: but there was light beyond.

What came into being

     through the Word was life,

    and the life was the light for all people.

The light shines in the darkness,

    and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light.

Before Augustus was, I AM. 

Through him all things came to be. The logos, “the eternal word manifest in the reason and order of the cosmos of which it was the creative agent,” was not a new concept to first-century people. 

(Massey Shepherd, The Oxford American Prayer Book Commentary, 1963, 97)

But now– something new. The Word has become flesh, and dwelt among us. 

“This pre-existent, eternal and divine word has now been manifested in the flesh, in the person of Jesus Christ. And that life gives not only light to the understanding,” - intellectual knowledge - “that we may know the truth, but also power to the will, that we may be obedient sons [children] of God. For in Him [Christ] the glory of God was revealed in the fullness of ‘grace and truth.’”

(Massey Shepherd, loc. cit.)

The light still shines in the darkness and the darkness has never put it out.

The creator is not remote; he is Emmanuel: God with us. The word, eternal, became flesh. With us he dwells and so we see his Glory. Glory - light, shining, and more than light: life in essential union with its source. 

Right now, this morning, we remember the child, and the infinite possibility he seems to awaken in us, an infinite possibility for hope and joy. And love.

This little child is revealed in radiance, in sharp contrast to Caesar Augustus, as far from imperial pomp as what power is really all about: a creative, redemptive, power, made perfect in weakness, that means eternal, abundant life, and a light that both illuminates and empowers. 

This little light of mine, comes from that light. To carry that light into the world is our joy and our task. 

Today there are plenty of people who put themselves forward to tell you who is the one to be the leader. Who will the mirror reflect? Who is the one to rule them all? Is it the one we hope to see when we gaze into the mirror? 

If I controlled the clicker that chose the images that the mirror, the flat-screen, on the wall, projected, who would I see? Would I see myself? What would I do to shape that image? What would I not do?

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the one to rule them all?

[– and in the darkness bind them!]

And yet beyond the mirror is the reality of the light. The light that was before all being, creating all and illuminating all. And in that harsh light, that glare of reality and truth, any puny effort to ‘rule them all’ is evident to fail.

We may want to count the cost. To submit ourselves to him, to become children of light, is to give up being our own back-lit mirrors. It is to accept the reality that in him is life and this life is the light of all people. There is no other source. He is the one. 

Thank God.

Eternal light, scatter the darkness from our hearts and minds, enlighten our lives with your glory, and give us the power and wisdom to live as sons and daughters of God;  — as children of light — through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, O Father, and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

David Adam, Glimpses of Glory (SPCK, 2000) 18.

Christmas1

First Sunday after Christmas

● Isaiah 61:10-62:3

● Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7

● John 1:1-18

● Psalm 147 or 147:13-21

https://lectionarypage.net/YearABC/Christmas/Christmas1.html

https://ctktucson.org/ 

https://www.facebook.com/ctktucson

JRL+

Be ware of darkness that casts itself as light.