Last Sunday, many of you placed a candle in the sand and named a specific way you intend to shine light in the days and months ahead. And on Christmas Eve, many of you held items and reflected on the spiritual call to be a vessel of radical hospitality. Or to embody a shepherd’s commitment to care for the vulnerable. 

If you didn’t take the opportunity last Sunday to identify a specific way you intend to shine light, it isn’t too late. You could take a moment right now and declare for yourself what light is yours to shine. You might even connect that personal light to the way(s) that our congregation can potentially shine in the world. 

That’s part of the message of our Christmas Eve service after all: No one shines alone. We continued the traditional practice of lighting our candles and filling the sanctuary with light as a reminder. Each of our lights might seem meager all on its own. But when we combine our lights together, the result is abundant illumination. 

Part of the challenge in the years ahead might be to illuminate an intentional path of liberating love. Many people in our community (by which I mean not only our congregation, but especially people in our larger interconnected web of existence)—many people in our community are afraid that the world will really need some clear examples of liberating love very soon. 

It might be a challenge to remain true to our commitments about the kind of light we can shine, as individuals and as a congregation. One way to ground ourselves and nourish our own resolve is to share our commitment with others—not necessarily a broad-spectrum announcement, but a few trusted friends. To declare out loud what is true about our light and how we are committed to shining in the world around us.

May we light the path for one another toward greater wholeness and well-being. And may our illumination not remain safely ensconced within our own walls. Shine on, beloveds. 

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