December 12: All Will Come to This Light
♫ Music:
Day 14 - Saturday, December 12
Title: ALL WILL COME TO THIS LIGHT
Scripture: Isaiah 60:3
And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
Poetry:
Filling Station
by Elizabeth Bishop
Oh, but it is dirty!
—this little filling station,
oil-soaked, oil-permeated
to a disturbing, over-all
black translucency.
Be careful with that match!
Father wears a dirty,
oil-soaked monkey suit
that cuts him under the arms,
and several quick and saucy
and greasy sons assist him
(it’s a family filling station),
all quite thoroughly dirty.
Do they live in the station?
It has a cement porch
behind the pumps, and on it
a set of crushed and grease-
impregnated wickerwork;
on the wicker sofa
a dirty dog, quite comfy.
Some comic books provide
the only note of color—
of certain color. They lie
upon a big dim doily
draping a taboret
(part of the set), beside
a big hirsute begonia.
Why the extraneous plant?
Why the taboret?
Why, oh why, the doily?
(Embroidered in daisy stitch
with marguerites, I think,
and heavy with gray crochet.)
Somebody embroidered the doily.
Somebody waters the plant,
or oils it, maybe. Somebody
arranges the rows of cans
so that they softly say:
esso—so—so—so
to high-strung automobiles.
Somebody loves us all.
ALL WILL COME TO THIS LIGHT
The prophet Isaiah speaks forth a host of prophecies throughout his text. There’s messianic prophecies, eschatological prophecies, and prophecies against Israel and other nations, etc. Many of these prophecies foretell doom and gloom, as is so often the case with the Old Testament prophets, but some of his prophecies are hopeful, even enlivening. One of these animating prophecies in found Isaiah 60:1-3 wherein the prophet assures Israel of her future glory in that God’s light will shine upon them and the “Lord will arise” upon them (v. 2). And this illuminating and arising will have results not only for Israel but for all of the nations of the world since they and their rulers will also come to the Lord’s light.
So, what exactly is this illuminating and arising? Light bookends the Scriptures: “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Gen. 1:3); and “the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever” (Rev. 22:5). Thus, we know that God is the light and in his light there is “life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). To be in the light is to be a child of God and to live in the light is to live in his good creation as his redeemed children. Thus, when God’s shines his light onto all the nations, he is shining himself on them, inviting them into a saving relationship. God’s light is symbolic of his omnipresence and salvific grace.
The language of “arise” carries the connotation of resurrection especially in light of the healing of Jairus’ daughter (“Taking her by the hand [Jesus] said to her, ‘Talitha cumi,’ which means, ‘Little girl, I say to you, arise’ – Mark 5:43), the resuscitation of Lazarus (“Jesus said to [Martha], “Your brother will rise again” – John 11:23) and the resurrection of Jesus. The Apostle Paul connects the two ideas together when he writes, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (Eph. 5:14). If to be in the light is to be in relationship to God as members of his creation, then to arise because of that light is to go from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive. And this is the message of Advent, that in the coming of Jesus all people who already live in the light of creation can become daughters and sons of he who is Light.
Prayer:
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility.
Amen.
----Book of Common Prayer
Dr. Greg Peters
Professor of Medieval and Spiritual Theology
Torrey Honors College
Biola University
Rector of the Anglican Church of the Epiphany
La Mirada, California
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Artwork:
Revelation 21
Karen Geotzinger
2011
Mixed media textile triptych of Italian pima cotton, organdy, cotton, tulle, gold lamé, acrylic paint, gold leaf
Three 30″ x 10″ panels to make a 30″ x 30″ work
Martin Luther College, New Ulm, Minnesota
Artist Karen Goetzinger is best-known for her finely detailed mixed media textile constructions that combine elements of quilt-making with high couture. In this three panel piece, a city skyline is created with layers of cotton fabric, tulle, and organdy (often used in wedding gowns) built up as a city and then embellished with acrylic paint, connecting to verse 2: "I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband." The bottom portion of each section was made by painting cotton fabric – cutting up the fabric into small rectangles of varying sizes and reassembling. Sheer tulle was stitched over the top in reflection of verses 19-20: "The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst." Each section of the triptych was monoprinted: the red “splotches” symbolizing the blood of the Lamb, the portions of text, as well as the gold lamé symbolizing the Alpha and Omega and the Chi Rho. This stems from verse 6: "He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End." The gold leaf cross illuminates the city from verse 23: "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp."
About the Artist:
Karen Goetzinger is an award winning artist, teacher, and lecturer currently living in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Through the use of mixed media such as acrylic, ink, graphite, and oil pastel, she expressively marks the imprint of time and place on individual memory. Her large scale paintings are intentionally without figurative elements, allowing each viewer to become the human element in solitary interaction with the abstract landscape and their own narratives. She is known and sought after for her finely detailed mixed media textile works that are influenced by her roots in traditional quilt making, couture construction, and her lifelong passion for the urban landscape. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fashion Design with an emphasis in Fine Arts from Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her work is exhibited by public and commercial galleries throughout North America, as well as China and Australia. It hangs in both private and corporate collections internationally. Since 2005 she has taught at the Ottawa School of Art and is currently a mentor/instructor in the Fine and Contemporary Craft Mentoring Program.
https://karengoetzinger.com/
https://www.wescover.com/creator/karen-goetzinger
Music #1:
“Sunrise Song (For the Poor)” from the album Ethereal Light
Lyrics:
Sunrise Song (For the Poor)
It’s the dawn
Of a different day,
A sunrise for those of a humble estate,
Good news for all who in the darkness wait;
The clouds of centuries will dissipate.
It’s the dawn
Of a new decree,
As the prophets told us so it soon shall be;
The anointed one has come to declare us free,
And the covenant fulfilled by a baby.
Oh helpless dependent child;
Have you ever heard of a love so wild?
--That the Lord Himself would pitch His tent
Among shepherds and sons of men?
It’s the dawn
Of a different age,
For unto us a child is born this day
In the gentle mercy of a strength restrained;
Upon the throne of David Righteousness shall reign,
And the earth itself will celebrate
At the feet of the one who breathed and named it good.
Oh helpless dependent child;
Have you ever heard of a love so wild?
--That the Lord of hosts would pitch His tent
Among shepherds and sons of men?
So come you poor, come you weak;
All you thirsty come and drink;
Come you faithful and faithless too;
It’s the year of the Lord’s favor for you.
He’s here!
(Here he comes)
Performers:
Jacob Goins and Andrew Goins
Composer/Lyricist:
Jacob Goins is a poet who carefully pairs his words with delicate melodies. In every effort, he strives to make art that doesn’t sing over the quiet, but rather sings with it. Jacob and his brother Andrew, who plays upright bass, have shared their music in their home state of North Carolina as well as in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Colorado. They have performed together in auditoriums, living rooms, and festival stages, and have shared the stage with many artists including Kevin Schlereth and Aaron Strumpel.
https://www.jacobgoinsmusic.com/about
Music #2:
Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 1: 10. For Behold, Darkness Shall Cover the Earth
Lyrics:
For behold,
darkness shall cover the earth,
and gross darkness the people;
but the Lord shall arise upon thee,
and His glory shall be seen upon thee.
And the Gentiles shall come to thy light,
and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
Messiah Performers/Musicians/Lyricists/Composer:
Unless otherwise noted, all Messiah performances are by Margaret Marshall, Catherine Robbin, Anthony Rolfe-Johnson, Robert Hale, Charles Brett, Saul Quirke, the English Baroque Soloists, and the Monteverdi Choir conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Biographical information for the performers and musicians can be found by clicking here.
About the Poet:
Elizabeth Bishop (1911–1979) was an American poet and short-story writer. She was Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 1949 to 1950, the Pulitzer Prize winner for Poetry in 1956, the National Book Award winner in 1970, and the recipient of the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 1976. Bishop was greatly influenced by the poet Marianne Moore, who helped Bishop publish some of her poetry. The friendship between the two women is memorialized by an extensive correspondence endured until Moore's death in 1972. During her lifetime, Bishop was a respected yet somewhat obscure figure in the world of American literature. Since her death in 1979, however, her reputation has grown to the point where many critics, like Larry Rohter in The New York Times, have referred to her as "one of the most important American poets" of the 20th century. Bishop was a perfectionist who published only 101 poems during her lifetime, preferring instead to spend long periods of time refining her work. Her verse is marked by precise descriptions of the physical world and an air of poetic serenity, but her underlying themes include the struggle to find a sense of belonging and the human experiences of grief and longing.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/elizabeth-bishop
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Bishop
About the Devotion Author:
Dr. Greg Peters
Professor of Medieval and Spiritual Theology
Torrey Honors College
Biola University
Rector of the Anglican Church of the Epiphany
La Mirada, California
Dr. Greg Peters is Professor of Medieval and Spiritual Theology in the Torrey Honors College at Biola University. He is also Rector of the Anglican Church of the Epiphany in La Mirada and author of The Monkhood of All Believers: The Monastic Foundation of Christian Spirituality.