Luke 1:78-79 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.’
We pray these familiar lines often in our daily rhythm of Morning Prayer at the seminary. And these words never cease move me, to take my breath away. I think it is that juxtaposition of the softness of God’s tender mercy with the startling light of the dawn breaking into the darkness. These are lines of incredible hope in the face of what sometimes feels like insurmountable odds. Each day, the news reminds us of the darkness of the world: death, deprivation, inequity, suffering. Even when we try our hardest, it’s easy to wonder if there is ever enough good in the world to counter and confront the bad.
We pray these familiar lines often in our daily rhythm of Morning Prayer at the seminary. And these words never cease move me, to take my breath away. I think it is that juxtaposition of the softness of God’s tender mercy with the startling light of the dawn breaking into the darkness. These are lines of incredible hope in the face of what sometimes feels like insurmountable odds. Each day, the news reminds us of the darkness of the world: death, deprivation, inequity, suffering. Even when we try our hardest, it’s easy to wonder if there is ever enough good in the world to counter and confront the bad.
And then Zechariah speaks to us, and reminds us of the innocence of the coming birth of a child, of the hope this child offers in the midst of such a dimly lit world. So I say the words again, out loud, let them roll around in my mind, and hope is renewed. God is with us, right now, in this present moment. Let God’s mercy rain down today, in us and through us, in all we do.
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