Love Has Come, ELW 292
1 Love has come
—a light in the darkness!
Love shines forth in the Bethlehem skies.
See, all the heaven has come to proclaim it;
hear how their song of joy arises:
Love! Love!
Born unto you, a Savior!
Love! Love!
Glory to God on high.
2 Love is born!
Come, share in wonder.
Love is God now asleep in the hay.
See the glow in the eyes of his mother; what is the name her heart is saying?
Love! Love!
Love is the name she whispers;
Love! Love!
Jesus, Immanuel.
3 Love has come and never will leave us!
Love is life everlasting and free.
Love is Jesus within and among us.
Love is the peace our hearts are seeking.
Love! Love!
Love is the gift of Christmas.
Love! Love!
Praise to you, God on high!
Devotion
Feeling ourselves to be in the dark, our fears frequently overwhelm us. Every shape and sound is perceived as a threat. How do we respond? Either we cower under a shroud of silence hoping not to give ourselves away while desperately longing for the light, or we make our voices loud, our shape as large as we are able, and prepare to strike back at anything that may come toward us.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., once said, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." Filled with fear and uncertainty, we lash out in kind against hatred and darkness.
Thanks be to God, love has come! A light in the darkness. The mystery of love that will never leave us; love, life's new beginning everlasting and free. Happy New Year, indeed!
Prayer
God of Love, Light of the world; fill us with your presence this night. Grant us joy to share in and courage to live out the wonder of your vision for us and for your creation in this New Year! Amen.