Every night when I leave our church building I fix my eyes upon the pendant light shining in our church's front entry way which we keep on 24 hrs as a beacon of hope in the downtown. I often gaze at this light and pray for all those folks that I couldn’t get to that day, for all the folks that I was able to be with and, for all those who might cross my path tomorrow. I imagine the light guiding those who need hope, peace, healing, and love in their lives to “safe harbour”—to safe respectful sanctuary—to the unconditional loving presence of God.
This week at our Christmas Market, a young man asked if this church was accepting of LGBTQ. Yes, answered one of our people… of course. His face softened, he smiled and then he said, thank you. Last week, another young man suffering from addiction and psychosis was transported to hospital and is now in treatment because we are a village of hope able to provide support when this young man was not able to advocate for himself and kept falling through the cracks in the “system”. During lunch hour, a young woman comes to sit quietly in the sanctuary and prays in silence. Tonight, a group of parents and grandparents are coming for their 7th session in an 8- session course on “Making Sense of Adolescence” while another couple makes room to converse in private regarding the challenges presenting in their marriage. Our beacon of hope shines.
During this season of Advent, I believe we have to go deeper past all the distractions. We draw our awareness to the hope that comes this time of year—where the sun’s light is low on the horizon and seemingly always in our eyes—hope born, hope embodied, hope given through the celebration of Jesus’ birth. With the season’s light in our eyes, I am reminded how important it is for all of us to be that beacon of hope where: we go deep with our prayers, deep with our intentions, deep with our generosity, deep with our accountabilities, deep with our practice of living as a village of hope with its beacon of light shining into the streets and into the world around us.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not over come it.” --John 1:5