Luke 1:67-80
We perform a great many cataract surgeries at our facility. A Cataract obscures the vision and quite often the patients' vision after surgery is astoundingly better. It's as if someone peeled away a foggy layer away. I suppose the same could be say about getting your first pair of glasses, all of a sudden everything is in much sharper focus. You might have been amazed by just how unclear your vision really was.
The last few verses of this passage say it all, especially to the gay community where it might have special meaning. By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness. All of us go through life with some kinds of cataracts, emotional issues that obscure or prevent us from loving or being loved. Many of us have poor vision or we are convinced that we can't see the truth.
In the case of the gay community, we have been led to believe that we belonged in the shadows, we were not capable of love. We were told scripture condemned us and we would not delve into the realm of scripture ourselves. Why would we, the scriptures condemn us, right?
In fact they do not and in fact they have been used as weapons by those who chose to use bad translations, mistranslations and hateful agendas to keep the gay community in the shadows.
Jesus comes along and sheds light. He shows us what it is to be human. He shows us the true meaning of scripture which is love, tolerance and inclusion. The Spirit guides us to the knowledge of just what these weaponized scripture passages really mean. God sheds light on us, God takes us from the shadows and elevates us as His beloved children. We are worthy of love, we are worthy to share and even make love. I am reminded of the song I can see clearly now, the rain is gone... (Johnny Nash)
Of all the reasons we can think of in the celebration of Advent, and God's gifts to us are legion, one is how he embraced humanity. In so doing he celebrates and shows us that in being fully human we share in His divinity. We are given the gift of new life, out and about in the sunshine. We are no longer reegated to the shadows. We are free to be and free to find our place at God's table.
The last few verses of this passage say it all, especially to the gay community where it might have special meaning. By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness. All of us go through life with some kinds of cataracts, emotional issues that obscure or prevent us from loving or being loved. Many of us have poor vision or we are convinced that we can't see the truth.
In the case of the gay community, we have been led to believe that we belonged in the shadows, we were not capable of love. We were told scripture condemned us and we would not delve into the realm of scripture ourselves. Why would we, the scriptures condemn us, right?
In fact they do not and in fact they have been used as weapons by those who chose to use bad translations, mistranslations and hateful agendas to keep the gay community in the shadows.
Jesus comes along and sheds light. He shows us what it is to be human. He shows us the true meaning of scripture which is love, tolerance and inclusion. The Spirit guides us to the knowledge of just what these weaponized scripture passages really mean. God sheds light on us, God takes us from the shadows and elevates us as His beloved children. We are worthy of love, we are worthy to share and even make love. I am reminded of the song I can see clearly now, the rain is gone... (Johnny Nash)
Of all the reasons we can think of in the celebration of Advent, and God's gifts to us are legion, one is how he embraced humanity. In so doing he celebrates and shows us that in being fully human we share in His divinity. We are given the gift of new life, out and about in the sunshine. We are no longer reegated to the shadows. We are free to be and free to find our place at God's table.
Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:
‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has looked favourably on his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a mighty saviour for us
in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,
and has remembered his holy covenant,
the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,
to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,
might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness
before him all our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
by the forgiveness of their sins.
By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.’
‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has looked favourably on his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a mighty saviour for us
in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,
and has remembered his holy covenant,
the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,
to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,
might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness
before him all our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
by the forgiveness of their sins.
By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.’
The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.
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