Those who walk in darkness have seen a great light.
—Isaiah 9:2 

“When fall moves into winter, the summer daylight that lasted long into the evening is replaced by darkness. It stretches before us from the late afternoon, all through the night; yet no matter the season, the darkest hour comes right before the dawn. Darkness always seems deepest right before God is poised to cause an explosion of blessings in our lives. When we are sitting on the beach, watching the ocean at the edge of dawn, God’s gift of life and light consumes us. Imagine the awe you’d feel as you watch the sunrise on a crystalline morning, your mind clear and your feet covered in warm sand. But that may not be your experience. You may first see the morning light in a place far less beautiful. Perhaps you’re sitting in your car in the parking lot of yet another church after a long, lonely drive, trying desperately to think of a plan that will help you sort out your life. Whatever your situation, darkness comes. It appears in many different forms and at awkward and tiring times in your life.

No matter the time or circumstances of its arrival, remember, we have a choice. We can always choose to find the light that is dimly illuminated within the darkness of our souls. When we do, we may just see the light as clearly as if we were sitting at the ocean. .” (Cleophes Carter Jr., explorefaith.org, Signposts – Daily Devotions, “Darkness Before Dawn”)

You have heard someone say it to you: “I found my glasses (or whatever they were seeking) in the last place I looked.” The funny thing is, it will always be the last place you look – for it is the “last” place that the search ends – with the epiphany of the find. You search and search, your mind getting darker and darker thinking about how you just cannot live without whatever it is you have lost: and then, eureka, a light shines upon the object – it has been found.

This is exactly how we may feel just before G-d does something amazing in our lives – or even just something very ordinary. We are feeling dark, our minds are getting fuzzy with confusion or despair, and all seems to be at its most difficult and lowest. And then, someone calls us on the phone – or a letter comes in the mail – or we find the object we were looking for, which might just be G-d – and the light shines in our lives again. But let me be clear, G-d has not left us in those moments. Instead we have allowed our focus on G-d to be distracted – to be dampened by the problems of this life. When Jesus confronted Paul on the road to Damascus, something like scales formed over his eyes. He sat in this darkness praying for three days. It was only when Ananias came to tell him Jesus had chosen him for ministry that the scales fell from his eyes. My friends, when the darkness envelopes us, when the problems of life take our focus off Christ, we need to remember often that Jesus has chosen us to receive his love, mercy and radical Grace, through our baptisms. Our baptisms, which is our chosen-ness, is the light that shines through the darkness of this life.

Pastor Dave

Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a good word cheers it up.
—Proverbs 12:25 

“Many believe that we live in a culture of anxiety. The unstable economy, the high unemployment rate, the increase in crime and violence, the involvement in war, a recession that seems to go on and on can make anxiety bubble up in us like hydrogen peroxide on an open wound. Beyond global anxiety, we struggle with inner angst and worry about our health, our soul, our body, our work, our relationships.  And, somewhere in the mix, we have to simply keep “doing” life. At times it can feel like anxiety is weighing down our hearts, keeping us from feeling the full wonder of being alive.

Then, just when anxiety pushes us toward depression or escapist behaviors meant to gloss over our worry, a good word comes our way like a leaf falling gently from an over-full tree. It may not have anything to do with our particular concern or worry, but that good word is enough to get our minds off what troubles us. Sometimes we no longer even remember what we were feeling anxious about or even that we were feeling anxious at all. We are able to gain new perspective and find hope seeping into our soul. 

Imagine if we were looking for ways to bring a good word into people’s lives each day—if with just a word or phrase, we were able to lift someone’s heart from feeling overwhelmed. All it takes is for us to step away from our own anxiety long enough to become that leaf that falls gently into someone else’s life. Surprisingly, we may just find our own heart feeling lighter. (Renee Miller, explorefaith.org, Signposts – Daily Devotions, “The Goodness of a Word”)

There is something healing about helping others when they are in need, in pain, or in despair. I have experienced many episodes and opportunities myself since I have been a pastor – and since I have been a husband and father. Our society encourages us to continue to wallow in whatever problem, situation, or concern our minds are perseverating upon through the connectedness of the internet and social media. We can ask for and receive just a few or even hundreds of opinions about our problems, that will in turn keep up ruminating upon them 24 hours a day 7 days a week. This person says do thus and so, while another says never do thus and so – and soon you are circling your problems like a dog chasing its tail.

Seek ways you can step away from your anxiety long enough that you might be a “leaf of comfort that falls gently into someone else’s life.” Like Renee Miller suggests, we may not only find our own heart becoming lighter, even if just for a few moments, but we may, in turn, find the thing that helps us with our own concerns through the help we are to others.

Pastor Dave