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Advent, let the light in, O Come O Come Emanuel, radiant dawn, Samuel, The Sophia Center for Spirituality
Today is the day on which we go to sleep in Advent and (if we are vigilant) we wake up to the coming of “the one for whom we wait.” We’ve been calling to him for weeks now: O come, O come, Emmanuel…so now we must attest to the fact that, by sunrise tomorrow, we will see the Radiant Dawn that is the presence of God in our midst. It seems clear that God is doing all the work. (See the conversation between the Lord and the Prophet Nathan, today’s first lectionary reading during which God recounts all that has been done for King David – and thereby the nation of Israel (2 SM 7–>8…16). All that is asked of King David is to recognize all that has been done for him and his kingdom. The pivotal moment in this reading for today, I think, is the line that reads, I have been with you wherever you went.
As we wait for the dawning of light tomorrow, let us again consider the wisdom of Br. James Koester, SSJE who writes today, “If you are looking to find where Jesus will be born tonight, do not stretch your hand out to the shiny, bright, and new. Look to those ordinary, ignored, forgotten, and hidden parts of your life, and the world, and there you will find him. Then, like the shepherds, kneel before him and know him to be Emmanuel, God with us.” In other words, just recognize that God has been with us wherever we have gone.
We have all day and into this night to search the corners of our hearts, letting the light in, until the radiant dawn of Divine Love overtakes the darkness and we welcome the long awaited Emmanuel. Do not miss this opportunity. Blessings on your search!
