His Light is in Us
Scripture: Jesus said: “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” John 12:46 (NIV)
“This is the message we heard from Jesus and are passing on to you. God is light, in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” 1 John 1: 5-7 (NIV)
On Sunday afternoon, December 14, JM’s choirs will share a Service of Lessons and Carols (You won’t want to miss it!). One of the selections will be “His Light in Us”, words by Euan Tait and music by Kim Arnesen. The poet’s words are especially touching, and the composer’s harmonies are rich and glorious. In the program notes attached to the anthem, the creators share:
Christmas is a permanently new, permanently fresh and refreshing gift: the human heart is renewed through the gift not of riches, but of a tiny, fragile child. “His Light in Us” is a thanksgiving, and its key word is “renewed”, reflecting the glory of what goes on in our spirits at Christmas.
Here are the beautiful lyrics:
God’s distant call
flares in the night,
so long expected, so longed for;
and all my life,
Christ called my name,
and now at last, I’ll answer Him.
Renewed, his hope,
his light in us,
incarnate, fragile,
our Lord appears,
Alleluia, alleluia!
Eternal,
so perfect,
his cry of changeless love.
Alive, awake,
His call is here:
it is the crying of the Child;
I know Christ’s call,
its hidden flame,
it makes my spirit flare with hope!
Renewed, his hope,
his light in us...
This root, this stem, this flowering Love,
this mustard seed,
it grows to the greatest tree,
the birds of souls have nested there.
The light of the night
Now blazes at dawn!
You’ve led me here,
O little child,
your being singing with God’s life.
The kingdom sings,
it choirs with earth,
all creation lives Christ’s peace.
Renewed, his hope,
his light in us…
Euan Tait
The lights of Christmas that we use to decorate our trees, mantles, doors and tables are beautiful, But, they are not the light that renews the gift that is God’s love incarnate. They can only remind us of the true light that dispels the darkness. Light and darkness cannot cohabit a space. Where there is one spark of light, there can no longer be complete darkness.
During this Advent Season, open your heart to receive the Light in your heart once again. The source of the light is a tiny child that we greet each year. The love-light enters as we invite it into our hearts and renews our spirits to reflect that love in sharing love with others. His love never changes, is never denied to anyone who seeks it, grows as it is shared and sustains us through all our days. Blessed be the Child!!!
Prayer: Loving Creator: We come once again to ask you to enter our hearts and lives so that we might be filled with your light. Renew our spirits so that we might reflect that light in our daily walk. We are not worthy of receiving such a magnificent gift, but we ask that your grace be merciful and generous. Bless us to be a blessing this season and always. AMEN.
Chyrl Budd
“This is the message we heard from Jesus and are passing on to you. God is light, in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” 1 John 1: 5-7 (NIV)
On Sunday afternoon, December 14, JM’s choirs will share a Service of Lessons and Carols (You won’t want to miss it!). One of the selections will be “His Light in Us”, words by Euan Tait and music by Kim Arnesen. The poet’s words are especially touching, and the composer’s harmonies are rich and glorious. In the program notes attached to the anthem, the creators share:
Christmas is a permanently new, permanently fresh and refreshing gift: the human heart is renewed through the gift not of riches, but of a tiny, fragile child. “His Light in Us” is a thanksgiving, and its key word is “renewed”, reflecting the glory of what goes on in our spirits at Christmas.
Here are the beautiful lyrics:
God’s distant call
flares in the night,
so long expected, so longed for;
and all my life,
Christ called my name,
and now at last, I’ll answer Him.
Renewed, his hope,
his light in us,
incarnate, fragile,
our Lord appears,
Alleluia, alleluia!
Eternal,
so perfect,
his cry of changeless love.
Alive, awake,
His call is here:
it is the crying of the Child;
I know Christ’s call,
its hidden flame,
it makes my spirit flare with hope!
Renewed, his hope,
his light in us...
This root, this stem, this flowering Love,
this mustard seed,
it grows to the greatest tree,
the birds of souls have nested there.
The light of the night
Now blazes at dawn!
You’ve led me here,
O little child,
your being singing with God’s life.
The kingdom sings,
it choirs with earth,
all creation lives Christ’s peace.
Renewed, his hope,
his light in us…
Euan Tait
The lights of Christmas that we use to decorate our trees, mantles, doors and tables are beautiful, But, they are not the light that renews the gift that is God’s love incarnate. They can only remind us of the true light that dispels the darkness. Light and darkness cannot cohabit a space. Where there is one spark of light, there can no longer be complete darkness.
During this Advent Season, open your heart to receive the Light in your heart once again. The source of the light is a tiny child that we greet each year. The love-light enters as we invite it into our hearts and renews our spirits to reflect that love in sharing love with others. His love never changes, is never denied to anyone who seeks it, grows as it is shared and sustains us through all our days. Blessed be the Child!!!
Prayer: Loving Creator: We come once again to ask you to enter our hearts and lives so that we might be filled with your light. Renew our spirits so that we might reflect that light in our daily walk. We are not worthy of receiving such a magnificent gift, but we ask that your grace be merciful and generous. Bless us to be a blessing this season and always. AMEN.
Chyrl Budd
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