Recent sex scandals have been a sobering reminder for me that our sins catch up with us. And even though it’s Advent – a time we normally reserve for positive reflection – I have been in a real Lenten mood of sorrow and repentance. I have placed dark areas of my heart under the light of God’s truth and sought forgiveness. And I have admitted that what I have been defining as “a struggle” must now be forsaken as sin.
God is patient, yes. But the longer we take to confess and forsake sins, the more likely they will be exposed to the light of more public shame, as so many men have painfully discovered in recent weeks. It’s much better for the light of the Word to reach our souls first, and Jesus – the One we choose to celebrate this time of year – is that light.
We have been rescued from our enemies
so we can serve God without fear,
in holiness and righteousness
for as long as we live.
“And you, my little son [John the Baptist]
will be called the prophet of the Most High,
because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
You will tell his people how to find salvation
through forgiveness of their sins.
Because of God’s tender mercy,
the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,[i]
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and to guide us to the path of peace.
Luke 1.74-75; 77-79
“I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”
John 8.12
Mary Butler Coleman 
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