Listen

"You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.

You will tell his people how to be saved through the forgiveness of their sins.

Because of our God’s deep compassion, the dawn from heaven will break upon us, to give light to those who are sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide us on the path of peace.”

Luke 1:76-79

Think

Have you ever been up all night? Perhaps you were working on a project or paper. Perhaps an illness or nerves kept you awake, or the crisis of a loved one. Perhaps preference or necessity sent you traveling through the midnight hours.

Whatever the circumstance, you might have witnessed what feels like a minor miracle.

Unless you’re an expert at tracking moon or planet movements, the night is pretty homogenous. Once it’s dark, it’s dark. It stays that way until the night is spent.

And then with very little warning, we awake to the possibility that the night is not eternal. Color and definition return to our senses and surroundings. The whole creation is made anew.

Whenever I hear these words from Zechariah, foretelling his son’s role as herald to Jesus of Nazareth, I think of my life’s endless nights, mercifully few. And I think of what it must have been like to experience the coming of Emmanuel.

Because of our God’s deep compassion, the dawn from heaven will break upon us.

Kyle Oliver

Pray

Christ my savior, renew your Spirit in me each day. And help me remember that when you came into the world, you changed everything. Amen.

Go

Spirit of Peace, you dwell in my heart.

Spirit of Love, you make me whole.

Spirit of Joy, you teach me to serve.