Today’s devotion is a recent offering by Rev. Laura
Auten, reprinted from The Vital Web, a ministry of The Uwharrie District of The United
Methodist Church
Thursday, November 3, 2016
November is a
remembering month for me. My mother's
birthday is in November. My paternal
grandmother's birthday was in November and sometimes fell on Thanksgiving Day. My father died on the Tuesday before
Thanksgiving in 2006 -I remember the day and the hour. November begins with the bittersweet joy of
All Saints' Day and ends with festive days full of gratitude and Advent
preparation. November begins with the
remembrance of those who have gone before us and concludes with a glorious
celebration of Christ the King who leads the way for all of us -yesterday,
today and tomorrow.
If I were in
charge of the liturgical calendar, I would make November a season unto itself. We need a full thirty days to comprehend that
we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses whose faithfulness to Christ
continues to light our way. And we need
more time for the remembering. The older
I get, the more time and breath I need to name the saints, to name my saints. This remembering happens in our area of the
world when leaves are falling all around us and nature is preparing for winter.
With nature's cue, what better time to
ponder that even death cannot shatter love, that the grave will not bury our
hope, our witness or our mission. The
Light of the saints will not be extinguished. What Jesus makes possible for us in life and
in death will lead us to a place of gratitude. Sweeping our hearts with thankfulness seems an
appropriate way to prepare for Advent. November
is preparation for the great preparation of Advent -making room in our lives
for the One who makes all things possible, who is seated at the right hand of
God Almighty and who is born anew in our world. We need all of November to experience this!
This year,
the presidential election throws a kink into my autumn liturgical
sensibilities. This will be a November to remember! Debates, red power ties, white power suits,
polls and projections are on the main stage right now and we will surely thank
God when November 8 arrives if for no other reason than the commercials,
the political rhetoric and the automated phone calls will end. I, for one, will be thankful. Maybe we need November 1 to help us with November
8. For sure, Christian saints teach us
about the strengths and weaknesses of leadership, about the virtue of humility,
about lessons learned from the past and about bright hopes for tomorrow. And, Christ the King Sunday certainly
puts Election Day in proper perspective about the gift of power and its
rightful use.
This November
I am going to start a new tradition. The
candle that I light on All Saints' Day, I will also light on particular days throughout
the month to remember loved ones. I will
also light it on Thanksgiving and on Christ the King Sunday. It will also be the Christ candle for my
Advent wreath. And this year, I will
light this candle on November 8, Election Day. I will pray for our world, our country and for
our leaders. I will pray for those who
rejoice over the outcome of the election and for those who are disappointed
with the results. I will pray for the peace that passes all understanding
for those who are powerless and for those who are power hungry. I will pray for
those who wait, adventaciously, for good news of an election result, a
ceasefire, a diagnosis or for any sign of grace and hope. Can you light a
candle, too?
For You Today
Remembering
and praying; let the Advent begin!
NOTES
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