Dawn has broken

By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.’

The dawn from on high will break upon us by the tender mercy of our God. Zechariah is talking about the coming of the Messiah. The kingdom of God is here, it is now, and it is actually happening, Reg! (Apologies to Monty Python) What we are supposed to be doing, as the church, is ushering in the Kingdom of God. Right here. Right now.

We don't need to form a committee to discuss the timing. We don't need to raise money in a specific fund. We don't need to hire someone to teach us how to sell this thing. We just need to do it. Right now. It's actually happening.

How do we do it? Be nice to someone. Give something away. Smile at a stranger. Stand up for people who are being hurt even if they can't do anything for you. You want to have fun? Buy someone's lunch in a drive through. Don't tell them first either. Do justice. Speak up. Let someone know that just being a child of God, by virtue of being a human being, makes everyone of us worthy of compassion and mercy. Being a human being makes everyone worthy of compassion and mercy. Even if they're a muslim, an atheist, or a pagan. Just being human makes them worthy---because they're all God's babies. Love makes them worthy.

"By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."