I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. —John 8:12
The stars shone bright against the black of the moonless Maine night. The songs of summer frogs echoed over the glass-smooth water of the inlet. It felt like one of the thin places that I have experienced several times in my life – a place where the earthly and divine almost touch, a place where the presence of the Creator is palpable. My heart warred between an overwhelming sense of peace and rightness and an underlying pulse of excitement.
When I finally dipped the kayak paddle into the black stillness of the water, my senses almost exploded with awe at the glittering stream of tiny lights that followed the stroke of the paddle. Each swirl from the eddy of the paddle thrust produced a luminous path of light from hundreds of bioluminescent plankton.
I was overwhelmed by surprise and humility at the beauty in front of me. A comforting warmth spread over my entire body. I knew that I was experiencing the presence of God through his amazing creation.
I can still call to mind the blackness of the water and the sky and the beautiful light of the stars and the tiny sea life. Light speaks to us, calls us to life, encourages and comforts us. And we have the gift of the ultimate light – the light of Jesus.
Come, let us celebrate His arrival once again!
God of all creation, the darkness of black winter swaddles the earth. Silently we kneel in expectant solitude, awaiting the light like the caterpillar in its chrysalis. Holy darkness rains into our hearts showers of longing, floods of yearning. And still we wait in faith, in hope, watching for the coming of the dawning light that will flood us with the warmth of new awakenings, new beginnings, and new life. Come, Light of the World! Come, sweet Jesus, come! Amen.
Betty Schroeder