Advent 18

Wednesday, Third Week of Advent
14 December 2022
 
As we begin to bridge the gap into next year, I find myself reflecting on the year I have just experienced. It was tumultuous, to say the least, and I do not feel like a year has passed between now and last Christmas. I cannot identify another stretch of time in my life that I have changed so fundamentally than in the last twelve months. As I reflect on this advent I’d like to share some lessons I’ve learned with you. In all of the commotion, I somehow managed to discover divinity for the first time, inside myself. 
 
I was forced to find an inner peace I had never encountered before. I hesitate to call this inner strength religion, but upon reflecting, I think it may be. I learned how to be angry. You may be thinking, gosh that’s negative! Well, I’d say that anger is not always poison, and sometimes a newly learned self-worth. This year I learned how to fight for myself, and what a gift. But how is this religion? I’ve spent a lot of time this semester examining what religion actually is. Whether that be at Soul Food gatherings, at Chabad, or in my religious studies class, religion seems to pop up in unexpected ways. Somehow, I have learned this year to appreciate the meaning of life. I know that’s a bold claim, but I think that life grows immeasurably when we find the strength of self-worth. In John 8:12, Jesus says: 

I am the light of the world. 
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, 
But will have the light of life.

Whatever religious path you may follow, the holidays are a time of deep reflection. I think that this passage about the light of life is just as much about finding inner light as it is about worship. I encourage everyone to examine what lights them up and shine a little brighter for the people around them. Go forth with love, 
 
Vivian Miller ’26