4 a.m. CST

It began with the breath.

Wait a minute: This is not supposed to be the story of Creation (Genesis 1) or even a story about Jesus empowering his disciples for the ministry of forgiveness (John 20:19-23). This is supposed to be a story about the blessing of Light.

It began with a breath. I could sense a presence very close to my face. Then there was another breath, warm and moist. Then his muzzle nudged my face and I opened my eyes to see Ash, our Great Dane. It was 3:50 a.m. and he wanted, I guessed, for me to take him outside. By 3:55, Ash was ready to come back inside.

Returning to the bedroom, I noticed that the hall bathroom was brightly illumined by light from outside. As I drew closer to the window I began to see a remarkable pattern of light. I wondered what could be causing the beautiful pattern, but the window would not open immediately. I knelt before the window hoping that the tall window would open if I lifted from its base. Outside, it was a crystal clear night with a brightly shining moon.

I lowered the window. From my knees, I could see the true pattern of the light – it formed a truly majestic cross. I know a bit about the refraction of light through glass surfaces – that’s why I looked out the window. But I was drawn to the window by a sequence of events that led me to experience blessing when I wanted to be asleep.

I decided not to wake Beverly, but decided to take pictures with my cell phone’s camera. I hope that you will ask me to show you the pictures of the blessed Light given to me in this Advent/Christmas Season (Or, you can see it below.). I call the picture “4 a.m. CST” – Christ Shining Through.

May you be awakened. May you discover a blessed Light this Christmas.

Remember: It began with the breath.

Who Is "Coming" This Advent?

“Advent”, from the Latin word adventus, means “arrival” or “coming”. The Advent season begins four Sundays before Christmas – Christ Mass – and serves as a time of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus.

However, radio and television suggest that there might be other “advents” on people’s minds – other “comings” that are on our hearts and minds. Some examples from the radio include:

“Please come home for Christmas, if not by Christmas, by New Year’s night”;

“I’ll be home for Christmas, just you wait and see”;

“You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I’m telling you why …”;

Perhaps you have seen The Traveler’s Insurance Company’s “peaceable kingdom” commercial during college football games this fall? The commercial shows all sorts of animals – many of whom would normally be food for the animal next to them – living peacefully together on a beautiful day at an idyllic waterhole. Read this week’s Lesson from Isaiah (11:1-10, especially 6-9): The imagery for the commercial may be found there, but the motivation for the commercial (selling insurance) is not quite the same as the motivation for God’s prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah foretells the “coming” of a Davidic king (from the stock of Jesse, David’s father) who will be the embodiment of God’s rule on earth. Prior to the “peaceable kingdom” imagery, Isaiah describes the inspiration and the function of the king who is “coming”:

“on him the spirit of Yahweh rests, a spirit of wisdom and insight, a spirit of counsel and power, a spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Yahweh. (The fear of Yahweh is his breath.) He does not judge by appearances, he gives no verdict on hearsay, but judges the wretched with integrity, and with equity gives a verdict for the poor of the land. His word is a rod that strikes the ruthless, his sentences bring death to the wicked. Integrity is the loincloth round his waist, faithfulness the belt about his hips.” (Isaiah 11:2-5; The Jerusalem Bible)

Christian interpreters have always sensed that Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s vision expressed through Isaiah. In Christ, God fulfilled this prophesy (Read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and/or John.).

In the Body of Christ – the Church, God fulfills this prophesy whenever we live and love, offer healing and hope, or share glimpses of grace in ways that Jesus did. We might never fully replicate the witness of Christ, but when through us His Spirit touches another with His light and love, we reveal the truth about God and all of God’s creatures.

Who is coming this Advent? During this Season of Advent, pray for the “coming” of Christ to another through you!