Shine

‘Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you’ (Is. 60:1, 2).

Reflecting Jesus’ light just got harder. For this exile, anyway. The mandate of the magi remains: arise from worshipping the Child-King, go back out into the gloom and burn gloriously for Him. I am unsteady on that pilgrim road today. The gloom obstructs my gaze upon His glory.

Why so? The warmth of the creche gave way to the chill of hard realities. I encountered unexpected personal challenges that undercut my confidence. And the lilt of carols gave way to the din of DC, with a sore loser president whipping up loyalists into vile, irrational acts of violence that subvert our democracy.

I am a Kingdom citizen before I am an American of any political party. Right or left, I stand first for Christ and will not bend the knee to mob-driven ‘conspiracy theory’ nonsense.

Gloom. Those who trust in princes falter. I strain to see the Child-King through the haze and trust. He makes the way sure when I cannot see my feet or path. On this dismal landscape, I fail at first things: to love Annette well, to be generous and attentive to others who need me most.

I get low. I kneel and lament (Click here to check out my son Nick’s good words on this). I am grateful for tears; they release my soul while impassioned words only clutter it. He is there. He dwells in our ‘little place of absolute poverty’ (Merton) gloriously.

I arise. I will shine for Him. The gloom demands the radiant witness of radical wholeness. Though He invites all to integrity, only the surrendered realize it. He summons us to make known the dignity of man and woman for each other.

Never before has this witness of radical wholeness been more relevant. Prepare now on your knees. Nancy Pelosi and her ‘House’ just advanced a new language rule for Congress that ‘honors all gender identities by changing pronouns (him and her become “them”) and familial relationships (mother and father become “parents”) in the House rules to be gender neutral.’

Fueled by Trump’s vandals, the new DC will advance sexual identity politics--redefining common sense sexual realities into neutralized unrealities--with a vengeance. Any group that refuses to recognize sexual identity politics on par with racial equality will be targeted.

Shine. Radiant witnesses of radical wholeness break the haze and make clear the path for whoever will.

‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it’ (Jn. 1:5).