As the semester draws to a close it can feel like the world narrows down to stress, deadlines, and caffeine. Paradoxically, Advent widens our vision to reveal that we all aren’t all that far apart. In reading the texts of this liturgical season, we are reminded that far away and long ago, God’s light already entered the world in the midst of exhaustion and uncertainty.
In Acts 5, we read about crowds gathering just to catch Peter’s shadow. It’s a striking image: even the shadow of someone who knew Christ could bring healing. I don’t think this means that Peter had magic powers all on his own, but that the work he was doing reflected the nearness of the Holy Spirit. In all the talk of Christmas lights, scripture reminds us that shadows too can carry grace.
In the shadows of this season: in our tiredness, in our half-finished drafts, in our work turned in late, in exams that loom, in our hopes deferred…scripture reminds us that God moves in the shadows just like God is present in the light. People, even the first Christians, have been there before and are here now. In the midst of those big, anxious feelings we often try to hide away, God reminds us that we are not alone in the shadows.
Spirit, even through my shadow, let your presence be made known. May our rest, our work, our friendships, our futures, be a testament to God’s healing presence in a world that too often feels upside down. Amen.
Rosa Ross
Campus Ministry Fellow, UKirk Ewing
Alum, Marshall UKIRK
Words for Waiting 