Darkness to Light

[Bass] “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light,

[Add tenor]        The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light,

[Add alto]                           The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light!

“Those who dwelt in the land of deep darkness, on them light has shined!

[Soprano]           Jesus, our Morning Star, Light of the world. Glory be to God on high!”

We’re singing the J. S. Cool arrangement of this in my choir. I tried to find a link on Youtube so you could hear what it sounds like (not us, mind you, but some choir somewhere!) but all I could find was Handel—also wonderful, but not the same thing.

So you’ll just have to imagine each line getting louder and more exciting, a little higher in pitch, until the sopranos cry out the last line in joyous praise.

In the multi-denominational church I attend, there is a worship committee who meets and plans all aspects of the worship service to mesh together in one great act of communal worship. The sermon, the music, any readings, the altar and church art, the picture on the bulletin, even which stole the pastor wears, all reflect the theme of that week. It takes work. But the people here have the idea that all—visual people, auditory people, even kinesthetic people—should gain the greatest blessing possible. They’re willing to work prayerfully so that can happen.

And of course, all of us need all of those components, no matter which is our preferred means of processing the world.

This week, one of the lectionary texts is the Isaiah 9 passage from which these words come. One of my favorite things about it is that it’s written (spoken) in present tense, several centuries before the birth of the Light of the World. Today, we sing "the light has come" when speaking of the first Advent of Christ into the world, and we can also sing "the light has come" when referring to a yet-future, much-awaited, deeply longed-for event--the second Advent of Christ, this time for final reconciliation and an end to all suffering. We are the souls beneath the throne, crying, "How long, Lord?"

I’ve spent a fair amount of time in deep darkness. I’d be willing to bet you have, too.

Has the Light shined?

Are you reflecting it on?

All we have to do is receive, then turn outward so that the beams reflect away from us and onto those around us. The Sun of Righteousness does all the rest.