SCRIPTURE: "So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you…"[Isaiah 59:9, 60:1-2]
About 353,000 babies were born today. Did you know that? 353,000 first breaths. 353,000 sets of eyes seeing sunlight for the very first time. Over 6 million tiny fingers and toes. I love babies - they are soft and sweet and brand new. They are everything good. They remind you just how incredibly sacred and fragile life is.
Every year an estimated 6 to 13.5 million children are victims of human trafficking. In 2013, 6.3 million children around the world died before their 5th birthday, mostly due to malnutrition. In the United States, there are over 140,000 homeless children.
Sometimes I look at my five year old nephew and realize just how lucky he was to make it to his fifth birthday, when millions of children around the world do not. It hurts to think about children dying of starvation, children sold into slavery, children murdered in their father’s wars. It is all so much, and what can we do? Where do we even begin? The world feels so heavy sometimes, so overwhelming, so hopeless. Justice is far from us. We look for light, but all is darkness.
The day Jesus came into the world, the story was the same. War. Death. Oppression. Slavery. But that day, the story changed, and the whole world with it.
“Arise, shine, for your light has come.”
I wonder how Mary felt when she held Jesus for the first time, when she looked upon the face of her sweet baby boy. I wonder if her heart seized up at the thought of the world he had come into, the pain and evil that surrounded them. I wonder if she had even the slightest idea of the light her child would shine into our story.
Since 1990, the under-five mortality rate around the world has been cut in half thanks to international maternal and child health efforts, such as those by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Programs in cities around the country, like Family Promise here in Gainesville, provide safe housing, food, and social services to homeless children and their families. UNICEF’s End Trafficking Project, as well as our very own United Methodist Women, work tirelessly to spread the word about human trafficking and end the heinous practice.
Jesus, light of the world, calls us to be the same. Justice may be far, but Christ is near. When we live like that, we bring the Kingdom a little bit closer every day.
And it all started with a baby.
Katherine Harris
Join in our photo-a-day devotional to show us what makes your light shine and/or how you share your light with others. Just use #trinitylightshine to be part of the celebration.
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Dan Johnson. 352-317-4409
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