From Darkness to Light

Advent with St. Luke’s Fort Collins

November 28th – Christmas Eve, 2021

The first Sunday after Thanksgiving marks a new church season called Advent. It is the season leading up to Christmas during which we prepare our hearts to welcome the presence of God breaking into our world through the birth of Jesus at Christmas. During this season, the way our church prepares for Christmas is quite different than what we see in our wider community. While our popular culture is adding twinkling beautiful lights on city streets and houses, our church sanctuary is darker.

At the beginning of Advent liturgies our church is dimly lit. The readings are darker too. We don’t hear the beautiful stories of Christmas just yet. Instead, we hear stories that speak to the challenges of living, to apocalyptic times. We hear those stories because Jesus was born into a troubled world. A world that was broken and crying out for a new way, the way of Love.

 We are living in troubled times too. The pain and brokenness of our world has only become more apparent as we have struggled in pandemic. Disparities in our healthcare and education systems, racism, poverty, sexism, and divisions among our people have all become more pronounced in recent years. And in Advent of 2021 we are in yet another terrible surge of the pandemic. It is hard to imagine that after all we have been through, we are entering what is expected to be the worst Covid surge that Colorado has had. I often hear people wondering, when will this end? When will there be some light?

It is easy to fall into despair. But the season of Advent reminds me that it was times like these when Jesus, God incarnate, broke into our world. Jesus wasn’t born during a time after the brokenness was better so that we could enter into a new era. No, he was born in the world in a time when humanity was sick. Herod, who manipulated religious leaders for the gain of power was ruler. He ordered that Jesus be killed as a baby so that his power wouldn’t be threatened, and Jesus, Joseph and Mary became refugees. The Roman authorities and some religious authorities of the day were so threatened that they had Jesus killed. Within that sick and broken world, Jesus, Son of God, Emmanuel, Love embodied, came forth and showed us a different way. It is the way of Love.

Now as we enter into the season of Advent in mightily challenging times, we prepare for God to enter. God lovingly breaks into the world in the midst of times such as these. It is tradition during Advent that Christians commit to a prayer practice that helps us prepare for Christmas. St. Luke’s will have many opportunities to prepare our hearts for Christmas as a community. You may also want to re-start a prayer practice that you love. Please spend some time reading about all of our offerings and pray about the way you would like to observe Advent. If you would like to have a conversation with me please let me know. I pray that you will have a meaningful Advent season with us. Krista+

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