Light of Christ

06Jan
Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
Isaiah 60:1


I am a child of the Light. There. I’ve said it. Many of us have a favorite celebratory service or Feast Day. Mine have always involved a flame, a fire, the Light. It should not be as surprise that, even as the littlest girl, Epiphany was, and is, the stuff of magic to me. It was the service I always asked my Mom if I could invite a friend to come with us. “The Feast of Lights” is what St. Andrew’s, Amarillo, Texas called our Epiphany service. It was that evening service we all got a candle, our candle, regardless of age. Rooted firmly in my memory, I see Father Stuart Hoke and the acolytes bring the light forward to share. As a Church family, we passed the light of Christ from the front of church to the back, pew by pew, person by person. Stop a moment to think of that. Each person, regardless of age, accepted and shared the light of Christ, one to another. It was as powerful to me at 6 years old as it was at 16 as it is now at 56.


As a young college student attending St. Michael and All Angels under Father Robert Ratelle, their tradition took my Epiphany a step further with everyone’s candle staying lit as we filtered out, down the aisles of the Church to leave. However, it was Father Mark Anschutz, years later, who incarnated my beloved Feast of Light as the most tangible, and, perhaps, most theologically correct Church tradition I practice. With Mark, we walked, literally, as bearers of Light, out the Church doors, spilling out onto the front walk. There, we gathered near some bundled Christmas greens from inside the Church. Those greens had been steeping in and were now ladened in our prayers, teachings and readings, carols and children’s pageantry, the preparation for and celebration of the Incarnation, the raw emotions of weddings and funerals. With a bit of prayer and a few good laughs, those greens were lit and, VOI – LA, magic! A large, bright, crackling Spirit filled the dark night. Truly, in that moment, the Light of Christ was visible AND accessible to the world or, at least, anyone remotely in the vicinity. 


Those lasting impressions, tangible moments of Christ IN the world, led me to begin a practice here at Trinity. (Please feel invited to join.) You may have noticed the lit Sanctus candles by the Church Tabernacle or hanging above the Aumbry in the Chapel. That lit candle lets us know that Christ is present with us, incarnate, in the form of consecrated wine and wafers. I keep an eye on those candles, when they get a little too low, I change them out to a fresh candle but I don’t blow the old one out! I become my happiest self and walk that Christ light out of the building and into New Orleans! Truth be told, it often gets driven around town as I run a few “on the way home” errands before I plop it on my front stoop. Folks walking their dogs, parking to go to La Boulangerie, or any thing else that takes them past my house (or car), walk in the Light of Christ. I’d like to think of it as a sneak attack Passing of the Peace or a moment when darkness is pierced by the Light. A hope filled reminder for all: darkness does overcome the Light. Epiphany is a way of living; won’t you join me in walking the Light of Christ through this world?


Musical Reflection -Third Day - Jesus Light of the World


O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Spiritual PracticeLightEpiphany

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