We are back in the Sanctuary at 11am on Sunday Mornings!!!! Unfortunately, we will not be able to provide the worship experience on zoom, but it is our hope to record on the church Facebook page. You can access the service live streamed from the sanctuary at https://www.facebook.com/WestHollywoodUCC. If you are not able to attend worship in person, we ask for your patience and understanding as we do our best to link to our FB page.
Relentless Light
I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. – Psalm 27:13 (KJV)
When I was in fifth grade, I asked my science teacher, “Where do the stars go during the daytime?” He responded, “They don’t go anywhere; you just can’t see them because of the dominant light from the star of the sun. The stars around us shine during the day, just as they do at night.”
These days, the bleakness of our circumstances can make it difficult for us to see any glimmers of light from the stars of faith around us.
Yet, despite the disruptions that could have caused us to faint, those stars have never stopped shining. They continued to emanate light even when we could not see them.
Faith is like a star that refuses to stop shining, even when it’s not noticed. Faith is a star that refuses to stop shining, even when other things around it get all the attention. Faith is a star that refuses to stop shining even when its brightness seems lost in the competition from other sources of brightness.
Faith is relentless. So relentless that even after being ignored all day long, it continues to give light through the darkness of the night. It’s illumination when it can be seen in no way lessens the consistency of its illumination when it can’t be seen.
Advent is all about a light that refuses to go out. It’s about an expectancy of new life that refuses to surrender to the scorching rays of distress. It’s about a star of hope that will not surrender its light to any searing season of turmoil.
Prayer
Lord, as the sun sets on this year, may the unrelenting light of faith reveal the consistency of your goodness and mercy. Amen.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kenneth L. Samuel is Pastor of Victory for the World Church, Stone Mountain, Georgia
