Weekly Update January 26, 2005

Weekly Update:
"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them light has shined." Isaiah 9:2

The days have been getting longer again and is now beginning to be noticeable. These seasonal changes of light and darkness are almost unnoticable from day to day are. One day we suddenly notice that it is light again in the early evening hours, or dark again. Yet these changes are happening every day.
Is it possible that the seasonal changes in light have something to teach us about the coming light of Christ, of the work of God in the World, and of our inability to notice the darkness in our own hearts?
As we sit for a time in the light of the Epiphany and wait for the journey of Lent, the journey of the Cross, are we training ourselves to notice the subtle advance of the light of Christ? We live in an instantaneous culture, in a culture of Blockbuster movies of with spectacle. In film and TV evil is obvious and sinister (rarely inviting or tempting) and defeat of evil is overwhelming and triumphant and decisive (until the next villain comes around). There is little in our culture that tunes our selves to the subtle changes, the slow advance of light in the world. (There is even perhaps a fascination with darkness).
God often works more like the subtle changes in the light through the seasons than the spectacular defeat of evil portrayed in our movies. Jesus first comes as a little baby, and then nothing much happens until Jesus appears on the scene as an adult to be baptized by John. Then all of Jesus works, his healing his gathering of disciples, the casting out of demons is all done on the way to the cross. Not so spectacular and not very triumphant. Yet the light came to the darkness and the darkness could not overcome it.
Monday night four of us, Kate, Justin, Tripp and Larry went out to Lombard to Northern Baptist Seminary for a meeting of “Emergent Church” types, called Up/rooted. Geoff Holsclaw is one of the coordinators of this group and has been one of our conversation partners as we have begun this church. The conversation was good, and continued participation with this group should prove fruitful as we continue to seek God’s leading. We hope our presence was encouraging to those present as well.

Lent is right around the corner, and we will be marking the beginning of lent with an Ash Wednesday service, February 9, to be held at the Community of the Holy Trinity at 7 PM. The community of the Holy Trinity is located at 6443 N. Bosworth apt. #2. Also, the Community of the Holy Trinity would like to invite any who would be interested in weekday evening prayer services to join the community in their evening prayer Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30 PM beginning February 7.