Arise and shine

Errand Runners

Posted on by Betsy

Last Sunday, I had the privilege of preaching for my lovely friend Gina, who was on a well-deserved cruise with her husband as they celebrated their anniversary. I have preached for her before, and it is a complete joy. Her congregation is warm, inviting, engaged, and one of the strongest examples of contributing to local mission and ministry that we have in our conference. Her lay people lead the worship service with expertise and practice, reading Scripture, offering prayers, singing, playing, and generally running the show (as laity should) except for the sermon. One of my favorite moments is watching the little acolyte come up from her pew, pull out a step stool, and offer the prayer for the offering at the lectern. This child isn’t even ten years old, and she leads worship.

Another favorite moment is watching the Children’s Sermon. A young mom came forward and sat with the children gathered around her and began to talk about flashlights. The flashlight she brought had a very dull beam, so she made talked to the children about the importance of batteries, needing to re-charge when they go weak, and things work better when they are fully powered. At the end, she pulled out fresh batteries and allowed the kids to help her put them in the flashlight.

The contrast between the dull light from a flashlight that needs a new charge and the blinding beam that the new batteries provided was startling and instructive.

We all have moments where we need to re-charge, get fresh batteries, take a break, go on a trip with our spouse, or just have a lie-abed day. But work pressures, a society that promotes workaholism, and the demands and needs of others often prevent us from getting the rejuvenation that we need.

In our passage today, Paul addressed his church at Corinth and encouraged them to keep shining their light into a darkness of unbelievers. He warned them about people who prefer to follow their “god of darkness” and look away from a Truth they can’t see. He called the unbelievers “stone-blind:”

2 Corinthians 4 (The Message)

3-4 If our Message is obscure to anyone, it’s not because we’re holding back in any way. No, it’s because these other people are looking or going the wrong way and refuse to give it serious attention. All they have eyes for is the fashionable god of darkness. They think he can give them what they want, and that they won’t have to bother believing a Truth they can’t see. They’re stone-blind to the dayspring brightness of the Message that shines with Christ, who gives us the best picture of God we’ll ever get.

5-6 Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, “Light up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.

As errand runners for Jesus, we are charged with shining his light into the darkness of the world. Our lives are filled up with light and it is incumbent upon us to use our flashlight like an usher in a dark theater, directing people to the safety and joy of God’s presence. But we can’t do that if we allow our batteries to be drained beyond repair.

How about you? Are you fully charged up and ready to lead others into the dayspring brightness of Christ? Or do you need power down and recharge? We all know that stopping to recharge gives us strength and energy to move forward. A small moment of self-care can make a world of difference.

May God rejuvenate us as we do the errands of serving, worshipping, and loving his Son.

Dayspring Brightness by Hannah Crews

Arise

Posted on by Betsy

Happy New Year! My New Year’s Day started off with a bang. As my family of five, including 18-month old twins, was preparing to drive home, I was tasked with keeping an eye on the kids as mom and dad worked on packing the car. I watched them play as I unloaded the dishwasher and got the entire top rack of mugs and cups put up in the cupboard before I realized that nobody had run the dishwasher last night. A few minutes later, one of the twins excitedly ran over to me to offer me a much-needed hug, causing me to spill a large cup of coffee across my dining room table, onto the white padded chair, and onto the floor. As I am writing this introduction onto this post (which I wrote yesterday), I got a notice that read, “Updating failed. Sorry, you are not allowed to edit this post.” Say what??

How is your New Year going?

Let’s get to it. I hope you have made a resolution to read Scripture every day this year. I am here for that, dirty cups and spilled coffee and all.

Once upon a time, a man told me I was worth 500 camels. True story. Apparently, the trinket vendors in Israel judge a women’s worth in camels. He assessed me as he was attempting to sell me some olive wood carvings and proclaimed I was worth 500 of them. I never found out if 500 camels is a high or low value, but it was amusing, nevertheless.

Camels are very important in the holy land. Their ability to travel long distances over arid deserts with little water makes them uniquely qualified to be the beasts of burden to an appreciative nation. Camels, however, have a very poor attitude toward their keepers. Despite their lovely eyelashes and cute stuffed animal faces, they groan and buck and spit. Yes, camels spit. I once rode a camel at the Mt. of Olives and it tried to run away with me, and then tried to buck me off.

In our beautiful passage from Isaiah today, we see the promise of many camels that will be spread across the land. They will come from nearby nations and bring gold and incense. Their arrival heralds the restoration of Israel after a long absence from the Lord. God calls the nation to arise and shine as a testament to his redemptive power:

Isaiah 61 (Common English Bible)

Arise! Shine! Your light has come;
    the Lord’s glory has shone upon you.
2 Though darkness covers the earth
    and gloom the nations,
    the Lord will shine upon you;
    God’s glory will appear over you.
3 Nations will come to your light
    and kings to your dawning radiance.

Israel was not just restored for its own sake, but to be a light to the nations that would draw people to God. He called them to be witnesses to his power:

4 Lift up your eyes and look all around:
    they are all gathered; they have come to you.
Your sons will come from far away,
    and your daughters on caregivers’ hips.
5 Then you will see and be radiant;
    your heart will tremble and open wide,
    because the sea’s abundance will be turned over to you;
    the nations’ wealth will come to you.

Everyone hearing Isaiah’s prophecy would recognize the significance of the camel reference here:

6 Countless camels will cover your land,
    young camels from Midian and Ephah.
They will all come from Sheba,
    carrying gold and incense,
    proclaiming the Lord’s praises.
7 All Kedar’s sheep will be gathered for you;
    rams from Nebaioth will be your offerings;
    they will be accepted on my altar,
    and I will glorify my splendid house.

Isaiah proclaims God to be the hope of the coastlands. This gives us pause to consider our own state of affairs. Where are you walking in darkness today? Do you need to be rescued? Are you waiting for redemption? Will 2024 be your year of soul restoration? As you wait, consider this: God redeemed his chosen nation. You, too, are chosen.

8 Who are these who fly like a cloud,
    like doves to their shelters?
9 I’m the hope of the coastlands.
    Ships from Tarshish are in the lead
    to bring your children from afar,
    their silver and gold with them
    for the name of the Lord your God
    and for the holy one of Israel, who has glorified you.
10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls,
    and their kings will serve you.
Though in my rage I struck you down,
    in my favor I have consoled you.

You, my friend, are worth all the camels on earth. So if you are struggling today, remember that God loves you and sent his son to give his very life for you. In his favor he will console you and rebuild you.

So arise, and shine.

Arise, and Shine by Michelle Robertson

Arise

Posted on by Betsy

Raise your hand if you are a Wordle fan. I love word games and puzzles so this online game from the New York Times is right up my alley. It is a five-letter word game where you have six tries to get the correct word. Letters in the right place turn green; letters that are somewhere in the puzzle but not in the right place turn yellow, and incorrect letters are gray.

People have come up with starting words that use popular letters, such as adieu. A while ago I was using either weary or teary as my first guess since they have common vowels that might be in the word. One day I was listening to NPR, and I heard the New York Times puzzle master, Will Shorts, say that he starts with either arise or arose.

So now, depending on the kind of day I am having, I start with either weary or arise. My mood dictates my choice, and obviously I am having a good day when I choose arise.

On this Epiphany Day, we revisit Isaiah’s beautiful passage on the regathering of the nation of Israel after the Redeemer conquered all opposition and called the people back home. They have been living in the darkness of the diaspora and have longed to return. Now, the gloom has been lifted and God has not only shone his light on them but enables them to be a light to the surrounding nations.

No one can ignore this dawning radiance.

Isaiah 60 (Common English Bible)

Arise! Shine! Your light has come;
    the Lord’s glory has shone upon you.
2 Though darkness covers the earth
    and gloom the nations,
    the Lord will shine upon you;
    God’s glory will appear over you.
3 Nations will come to your light
    and kings to your dawning radiance.

Our New Testament lenses read Christ all through this passage. Christ is the light that has come and will come again. Christ is the radiance that obliterates the darkness of our sins, burdens, addictions, estrangements, and sorrows. Christ even obliterates the darkness of death. He invites us to lift up our eyes and see our own reflected radiance in his presence.

4 Lift up your eyes and look all around:
    they are all gathered; they have come to you.
Your sons will come from far away,
    and your daughters on caregivers’ hips.
5 Then you will see and be radiant;
    your heart will tremble and open wide,
    because the sea’s abundance will be turned over to you;
    the nations’ wealth will come to you.
6 Countless camels will cover your land,
    young camels from Midian and Ephah.
They will all come from Sheba,
    carrying gold and incense,
    proclaiming the Lord’s praises.

This is such a beautiful foretelling of the Second Coming as well. When Jesus returns, the nations will gather in Israel and bask in the glow of his light. The glory of God will appear over the earth and every knee will bow in its radiance.

On this Epiphany Day, God invites us to arise and turn away from the darkness to walk in the light of Christ and invite others to walk along with us. We have but one job to do today. Lift up your eyes! Look all around! Then you will see and be radiant.

Shine on!

Your Light Has Come by Michelle Robertson

A Dawning Radiance

Posted on by Betsy

I have friends who religiously get up before dawn and make their way to the beach to watch the sunrise. I deeply admire their commitment to this. You have been the beneficiary of one particular friend, Michelle, who allows me to use her beautiful pictures in my devotionals. If we were dependent on just me for pictures, all you would get is sunset pictures. I am NOT a morning person! Just ask my family.

Epiphany is celebrated on January 6 every year. It is a day that recalls the arrival of the Wise Men in Bethlehem. They followed the glorious Epiphany star that had arisen over the town on the night of Jesus’ birth, and remained there as a guide in the darkness. It became symbolic of the light that beckoned people to step out of their own darkness into the glory of Christ.

When we say we have “had an epiphany,” we are letting others know that a lightbulb has gone off in our brain and we’ve had an enlightenment.

Today’s lectionary passage takes us back to Isaiah’s words, which foreshadow the Messiah’s arrival as a light that would come upon the darkness of the earth:

Isaiah 60 (Common English Bible)

Arise! Shine! Your light has come;
    the Lord’s glory has shone upon you.
2 Though darkness covers the earth
    and gloom the nations,
    the Lord will shine upon you;
    God’s glory will appear over you.
3 Nations will come to your light
    and kings to your dawning radiance.

Verse 3 places us squarely at the scene in Bethlehem, where we kneel in wonder with the kings. Isaiah describes the glory of Christ as a “dawning radiance”. Let’s pause there for just a moment. It is the daily dawning radiance that dispels the darkness of night. Imagine our world without the sun! We would not survive. We need its warmth, its brilliance, and its constant presence in our days to light up our pathways. That is exactly what Christ does. He is the constant presence in the darkness of today’s reality that lights our pathway … straight back to him.

4 Lift up your eyes and look all around:
    they are all gathered; they have come to you.
Your sons will come from far away,
    and your daughters on caregivers’ hips.
5 Then you will see and be radiant;
    your heart will tremble and open wide,
    because the sea’s abundance will be turned over to you;
    the nations’ wealth will come to you.

Isaiah reminds us that we can be radiant, too. God’s glory shines through us when we lift up one another in “care, prayer, and share.”

We are invited to care for the things God cares about … the marginalized, the hungry, the animals, the poor, the addicted, the imprisoned, the planet … these are the things God cares about.

We are invited to pray for the hurts and concerns of those around us, and pray for forgiveness of our sins. We can lift up our nation and pray for our future. We can pray for our leaders, our children, and those in far away places.

And God is counting on us to share our abundance with people who don’t have anything. Food banks, homeless shelters, nursing homes filled with lonely people … these are places where we can share ourselves and be a light in someone’s darkness.

6 Countless camels will cover your land,
    young camels from Midian and Ephah.
They will all come from Sheba,
    carrying gold and incense,
    proclaiming the Lord’s praises.

How will you respond to this call to be a dawning radiance today? Arise and shine! Your light has come.

Dawn’s Radiance by Michelle Robertson

Arise and Shine

Posted on by Betsy

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? And the follow-up question is, did you choose something realistic? I would love to be 5’ 10” tall and have long, silky, naturally blond hair. But God gave me brown curls, my hairdresser provides my blond highlights, and no matter how hard I try, I will never be 4 inches taller. Wider, sure, but taller? Nope.

The new year causes us to pause and reconsider. We are reconsidering our lifestyles, our habits, our choices, and our daily routines. “Choose a goal and change” is the message of early January. Every new year brings a chance for a do-over.

Whatever you set your mind on this week, I hope daily scripture reading is a part of your makeover. This truly is one thing you CAN change. At Water’s Edge was developed to help you in this quest. It is in your inbox every morning and will always offer you a lectionary scripture and some musings. You can take or leave the musings, but the scripture is guaranteed to speak into your life every day.

Today’s passage encourages us to arise and shine. Think about that for a moment. God is trying to free you from whatever imprisonment has you locked up. Most of the time what imprisons us is of our own making. What are you currently doing that has you feeling trapped and hopeless?

Isaiah 60 (New Revised Standard Version)

Arise, shine; for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

When we read this proclamation of the Lord “rising upon us,“ we know it refers to his healing mercies, his power to overcome all oppression, and his unconditional love for his people. We are invited to tap into the ONE force that can truly obliterate the darkness we are all fighting.

2 For darkness shall cover the earth,
    and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
    and his glory will appear over you.

When Isaiah wrote this, he was forecasting the return of the Israelites to their homeland and their place of worship. They had lived in darkness long enough. A savior was on the way to deliver them. We are still in the process of seeing this come to full fruition, but in faith we know that every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess him as Lord when the fullness of time has come at his second coming. Then nations will all live in light, and kings will bow down as well.

3 Nations shall come to your light,
    and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

So while we wait, let’s get better. Let’s do better. Let’s live better, love better, give better, speak better, wait better, and study God’s Word together.

Let us arise and shine in 2021.

Arise and Shine by Michelle Robertson