I first took this shot standing on the ground at the end of the rolls of hay but the image looked flat. Then I got the bright idea to climb up on the hay. It made all the difference in the world. Sometimes just a minor adjustment of position or perspective helps us see our world quite differently. It’s an obvious and foundational truth in photography. However, for some reason, in life we always think that our current position and perspective are the best.
Isaiah prophesied,
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”
Before Jesus began his ministry, John the Baptist said of him,
“The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.”
Finally, Jesus said of himself,
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
This Christmas, celebrate the light that frees us from darkness.
The lone microphone washed in the color of lights stands ready to receive the voices of the church choir at Christmas. In the background the organ pipes glow with expectation as well. Christmas is here and the birth of Jesus is about to be announced. On that day in Bethlehem so many centuries ago, the coming was announced by angels declaring, “Glory to God in the Highest.” Today we announce Jesus’ birth with microphones and music, with human voices and instruments of praise because even after all these years it is an announcement worth declaring. Glory to God in the Highest!
Last Sunday evening our church had a marvelous Christmas celebration they called “A Christmas Journey.” We listened to our children, our youth, and our adults proclaim the coming of the infant Jesus, all under changing lights that made the auditorium sparkle and caused me to think of the night skies above the shepherds on that wonderful night. Cynthia Clawson and her husband, Reagan Courtney, joined us to share their gifts of song and verse. I don’t count myself a musician, but I’m grateful for the creative gifts of so many others who can praise God through melody, harmony, and rhythm.
Fall is such a grand time of year. I find it wonderful that in those weeks when death is upon them, the leaves show their most spectacular self. In the aging years of beautiful people, the same phenomenon often occurs. While we are so busy trying to make something of ourselves and blending in to our world, many of our elders have learned that it’s okay to be different from everyone else; it’s good to live out their own colors and show off their individuality. It’s a shame it takes us so long to learn these lessons and get to the point where we lose our self-conciousness enough to embrace our rainbow of colors.
Check out more of my flickr photos on my Flickr page.