"Born to Shine"

Charlotte Collins Reed
Christ Church Episcopal
December 17, 2023 (8am only)

                                                     3 Advent B

A few weeks ago, I texted my daughter in law to see how things were going.  I knew the kids had been sick with some wretched virus and that their furnace had gone out.  She replied that she felt like she was living in a country music song.  Since I have a fondness for country music, I knew the exact song she needed and sent her a link to the Rodney Atkins song “If you’re going through hell, keep on going.”  That is a great song with a lot of energy that gives you a little pep talk and a lot of motivation to keep on going with words like “Don’t slow down; if you’re scared, don’t show it.  You might get out before the devil even knows you’re there.” 

This morning, I would love to send both Isaiah and John the Baptist a link to the country music song “Be a light.”  The song is upbeat and hopeful.  The refrain is “In a world full of hate, be a light.  Don’t hide in the dark, you were born to shine.  In a world full of hate, be the light.” The verses say things like “In a time of war, be peace” and “In a place that needs change, make a difference.” Both Isaiah and John the Baptist are calling us to be a light and to point to the light and there’s nothing like a good country music song to help deliver that message.  

Isaiah has been sent by God to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners.  Isaiah is writing to a people in distress.  The Hebrew people have been released from captivity in Babylon to a different kind of captivity back at home in the Promised Land...a captivity in which they cannot earn a living, their temple is in ruins, they have lost everything of value and there appears to be no hope for a better future.  But Isaiah is not bringing good news just so the people feel better about their dismal situation.  Isaiah is bringing them comfort so that they can do something about their situation.  Isaiah is bringing the people hope so that they can get about the business of restoration.  And when that happens, their descendants will be known among the nations, and their offspring among all people.  All who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.  In other words, Isaiah preaches comfort, so that the people can rise up and rebuild that which was lost, and God’s glory will be seen through out the world.  Isaiah calls the people to be a light.

In the gospel reading, we are told that John came to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.  John is the one sent to point the way toward Jesus.  Unlike last week’s gospel lesson from Mark, where the focus was on John as the one who baptized for the repentance of sins, in this gospel, John’s real mission is to point to Jesus.  When the priests and Levites ask John who he is, John only answers in the negative: he is not the Messiah, not Elijah, not the prophet.  John’s whole identity was to be a light who pointed the people to someone else, who directed the people to the light of the world, the Word made flesh.   

Advent is not just about preparing ourselves for the coming of the Christ child.  Advent is also about preparing the world around us for the coming of the Christ Child.  Neither Isaiah nor John call us this morning to prepare the world by threatening hell-fire and damnation if people do not believe or behave a certain way.  Isaiah calls us to bind up the broken-hearted, comfort those who mourn, to provide a mantle of praise for a faint spirit, so that God’s glory may be displayed.  Isaiah calls us to work to rebuild the ruins and repair the devastation we see around us, so that the world around us will see the work of God.  Isaiah calls us to be a light so that others can see what God is doing in their midst.  Likewise, John calls to use Advent to be a light that testifies to the light of Christ.  In Advent, and all year actually, our work is to be a light that points to the Light in our midst, bringing hope to the world around us. The apostle Paul calls us to rejoice always, pray constantly, and give thanks in all circumstances so that our lives point to the Word made flesh among us.  Certainly a people that can rejoice always and give thanks in all circumstances point to the glory of God.

In the words of the country song, “Don’t hide in the dark, you were born to shine.”  If we heed the call of Isaiah to bring good news to the oppressed, the command of Paul to rejoice always and give thanks in all circumstances, and the witness of John to testify to the light, I believe that both our hearts and our world will be better prepared for the arrival of the Christ Child in our midst and we will be a light.

Amen.

"If you're going through hell" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBKybUusyP8

"Be a light" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JcwNJj-pWY