Pause

Where God is, there is light.

Jesus came, bringing light into a dark world. Though there is still darkness, Jesus still comes, calling us to join him on the journey and giving us what we need – strength, courage, ability – to shed his light.

The promised one, the light of the world, welcomes us to follow him on the Kingdom way, the way of light. Let us turn our hearts toward him, and begin.

Listen

From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Matthew 4:17

Think

Jesus came, bringing God’s promised light, and took up the message his cousin John had also proclaimed: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near!”

Jesus, like John, called the people to turn from the lives they’d been leading. Jesus, and John, are still calling us today. We don’t just turn away from an old life, though; we also turn toward God’s kingdom.

We don’t just turn away from darkness, we turn toward light.

When we repent – when we turn – we become followers, like sunflowers who turn their faces to follow the course of the sun through the sky. But in turning our faces, changing our direction, we don’t just face the other way and freeze in place. When we repent, we become not statues, but followers. We find the light that will guide our steps, and we begin to walk the Kingdom road.

Nikki Finkelstein-Blair

Pray

God of light, give me the courage to turn, and to follow the glow of your kingdom with every step. Amen.

Go

In every time, in every place, light breaks through the darkness. We don’t have to go far; God comes near and calls us, wherever we are, to follow.

So here, and now: let God’s light shine.