Link to Love’s Pure Light Devotional here:
https://tinyurl.com/yysjvwjm
Luke 1:46b-55 1 Samuel 1:19-28 He-brews 8:1-13
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 — 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯; 𝘣𝘦-𝘭𝘰𝘸, 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯; 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘩, 𝘪𝘯 𝘏𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴; 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘵𝘩, 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥.
–St. Athanasius
One of the most beautiful prayers of the ancient church reminds us that God is “everywhere present and filling all things.” There is not a single spot in creation left unaffected or untouched by the glory of God, neither is there a corner of the human heart that does not long for God and to live in the light of his love. God’s love extends into every part of the world, and as St. Paul reminds us, he is reconciling it, and us, to him-self (2 Cor. 5:9).
The author of Hebrews, quoting from Jeremiah, reminds us today that God has long promised to fill the hearts and lives of his people. As God reveals himself to his creation, he does so by filling it with his very presence, and this great promise is uniquely fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ. How, one might ask, does God go about writing his law “on their hearts” (Heb. 8:10)? Though couched in legal language, this is fundamentally a promise of intimacy, a promise of communion. “And they shall not teach one another or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest” (Heb. 8:11).
Jesus enters the brokenness of our existence so that we can know God in the depths of our being. He fills all things so that we can find our fulfillment and true home in him. As St. Irenaeus famously said, “The glory of God is man fully alive.” Christ’s birth reminds us afresh that we become truly and fully alive as we encounter God’s glory in all of life.
𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸
Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲
The Incarnation reminds us that God loves our physical world and will redeem us, soul and body. As a reminder of the glory of God that fills all things, take time today to rejoice in God’s creation, giving thanks to God for the countless ways it speaks his name and draws forth praise.
