Your Light Has Come

Welcome to Word for the Week, the series in which I:

share my experience of hearing God’s Word in Mass last weekend,
explore what I believe the Lord is calling me to do about that Word, and
ask how this Word might impact your life, as well.

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On the Feast of the Epiphany—January 2nd—David and I went to Mass at one of our local AZ parishes with our kids. We chose an afternoon Mass, rather than our typical morning time, because David and I were super tired! (The kids’ winter break is a joy, but it’s also exhausting when we continue to work from home!) My Word for the Week ushered in a wide-eyed close to the Christmas season.

During Mass, our first- and third-born children had the giggles. They are both typically quieter than their other two siblings. But this week, they laughed for what seemed like the entire Mass! I kept reminding them to keep their voices quiet. But then I’d have to stifle my own laughter as they tried to suppress their giggles.

“Of all the things to get in trouble for, laughing is a good one,” I thought to myself as I tried to keep order in our pew.

In the church, the Christmas decor was vibrant with poinsettias, candles, and glowing lanterns around the altar. The Word that stood out to me in Mass was from the first reading, “...your light has come.” -Isaiah 60:1. It was a verse that I included in the artwork of my first studio album, back when I was 15 years old.

I was on the lookout all week for the “light” that the reading spoke of. Yes, my light must be Jesus. ("I am the light of the world," -John 8:12) But what was I supposed to do about it?

It seemed like the Lord was inviting me to recognize how He has come to light up my life as a witness. The rest of the verse from Isaiah says:

"Arise! Shine, for your light has come, the glory of the LORD has dawned upon you."

During the way, I found myself reflecting on a prophetic word from my friend AC. He described how God called my family and me to the desert of Phoenix. To paraphrase, he said, "Phoenix is a valley. The mountains are all around it, like an amphitheater. And you're in the middle, with this bright light shining on you."

By the end of the week, I found myself in the church where AC and I first met! It was also the same church where I first noticed a desire on my heart to bring the Good News to a lot of people.

Later that night, I also came face to face with a deep, terrifying need for forgiveness. I called my dad by Sunday afternoon and wept as I asked for advice.

"I'm writing a new book about forgiveness, Dad. I think it's going to reach a lot of people. And now I have to forgive in ways that I haven't had to before. And it's so hard."

My dad encouraged me to have faith that consolation would come. To have faith that joy was on the way. That forgiveness was the key to deeper relationships.

That Sunday night, the Baptism of the Lord. (Jan. 8) David and I attended Mass at St. Michael Parish in Livermore, California. As we walked from the parking lot toward the front doors, I pointed toward the courtyard.

"That's where my CD table was set up when that one kid told me, 'You're famous.'" I told David.

"Oh, really?" David remembered the story that I've told about the encounter. It happened shortly after I recognized the desire to reach a lot of people with our ministry.

It was another prophetic moment. And it was one that AC knew about and affirmed, too.

In Mass, I felt so many pieces of Providence coming together before my eyes. The priest began his homily with the word, "Wait." But then he explained that we didn't really need to wait, because our call had already arrived.

The homilist talked about how forgiveness is the mark of Christianity. How it's so much harder than our natural inclination toward revenge. And how it shows others that we are different in Christ.

My eyes filled with tears. God's light was illuminating my heart and mind. And I felt confident in the path that He has set before me in this next season.

It's a path that requires forgiveness. A path that will bring His light to others. And a path that is made clear through His word.

Will you pray with me? That we will trust the Word of God to meet us where we are? "Lord, we believe that your word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, as the Psalmist says. Please help us to recognize your word in our lives and to follow in the way that you set before us. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen."

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Dick Safranski
Jordan Mendez
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Trust the Prophecies

Welcome to Word for the Week, the series in which I:

share my experience of hearing God’s Word in Mass last weekend,
explore what I believe the Lord is calling me to do about that Word, and
ask how this Word might impact your life, as well.

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In Dallas, Texas, everything is bigger! The church where I had the pleasure to sing was massive. It was average, for Texas. The vestibule itself could fit a church building from the Midwest. The chapel in the back was the size of a regular worship space in New England. My word for the week was big, too, encompassing many ideas.

I was impressed. Mass was beautiful. I was working through some time-sensitive questions about ministry and communication, and the words that came up were of so much comfort. Here’s the last verse of the psalm:

Although they go forth weeping,
Carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
Carrying their sheaves.

Our response was, “The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.”

When I returned from Dallas, I researched Psalm 126 on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website. This description was shocking to me: “The last verses are probably an oracle of promise: the painful work of sowing will be crowned with life.” So, does that mean this description of people weeping and then coming back in song, didn’t actually happen?

But then I realized: no, that prophecy just hadn't happened yet.

After more reflection, I could see the beauty of this “oracle of promise.” Sometimes, God paints a picture for us, even before the blessings occur. As beautiful as the picture, or the oracle is, the fulfillment of the promise is all the better. The Lord seems to be asking me to trust the prophecies.

That means, I need to hang on to the prophetic words that have been spoken over my ministry and my life, as I discern the next steps. Those prophetic words will come to fruition. And they’ll be better than I could imagine. One confirmation of this conviction came last Sunday night, after my concert.

My host for the weekend (and an Amanda Vernon Patron!) Clarissa hosted some friends and me at her apartment. One of our mutual friends at the gathering recently moved to Dallas from a brief stint in Phoenix. This friend shared how a scripture verse that I texted her helped set the vision for her time in Phoenix. I had forgotten all about the text until she brought it up!

But sure enough, the Word of the Lord accomplishes its end! It reminds me of that story of Zechariah, the dad of John the Baptist. Do you remember how he went mute for months after he disbelieved the angel’s message about his unborn son? Have you ever felt this sense of disbelief as God’s promise unfolds before your eyes?

Maybe we need to be quiet sometimes to soak it in. Maybe it’s far better than we could put into words at first. May the Lord open our hearts to trust in the prophecies, even as they come true.

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Special thanks to VIP Patrons:

Dick Safranski
Jordan Mendez
Julian Padilla
Jessica Cook
Kate Hicks
Sara Chacon
Deacon Tim & Lily Roberto
Carrie Brzezinski
Frances Jones

To become an Amanda Vernon Patron and receive a “New Song Every Sunday,” signup at amandavernon.com/patron.

Confidence of a Child

Welcome to Word for the Week, the series in which I:

share my experience of hearing God’s Word in Mass last weekend,
explore what I believe the Lord is calling me to do about that Word, and
ask how this Word might impact your life, as well.

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Last Sunday, our pastor started talking about the theme of the Mass before we even got into the readings. He explained that “confidence” tied all of it together. He preached about St. Therese of Lisieux in the homily, and about the confidence of her trust in God’s love.

I grinned when he mentioned the Little Flower (that’s my favorite of St. Therese’s nicknames). The previous Wednesday, I had written and recorded a new song meant to be from this young saint’s perspective. When I told a friend about the song, she had asked me, “What’s one thing that stands out to you about St. Therese?” And my answer was, “Confidence.”

To hear the same word repeated at Mass, and with the Little Flower as the model, was a joy.

Two Sundays back, I also was at our home parish. We are settling into one parish lately, instead of bouncing between neighboring communities. The consistency is exciting for David—he’s so steady, and a predictable schedule sets him at ease. In spite of my penchant for spontaneity, I admit attending the same Mass each week helps foster relationships.

The word that stood out to me was “sing for joy,” that week (Psalm 90:14). So, as I tried to sing in the studio, like St. Therese would pray, the words became a prayer of joyful confidence. Yes, I was requesting something of the Lord through the lyrics. But I felt inspired ( #HolySpirit ) to sing as though God already answered. To tie my Word for the Week together from the past two Sundays (both “sing for joy” and “confidence”), I’ll close with the lyrics.

I’ll invite you to imagine the scene in the gospels where Jesus lets the little children come gather around him. What would it be like to run up to Jesus, to sit on his lap, to hear his laugh? Therese always described herself as a child in the eyes of God. This is how my heart tries to hold the same idea:

“Little Again”

Verse 1
I don’t think I was such a great kid / I grew up too fast
My dad tied to stop it / But my youth wasn’t destined to last
You say, be like a child to catch the heavenly / What about someone like me?

Chorus
Make me little enough / To see the world as big and grand
Let me know how small I am / Make me little again

Verse 2
Spring would lose its loveliness / If every flower wanted to be a rose
I could be a daisy / At the back of the garden
You say, be like a child to catch the heavenly / What about someone like me?

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Special thanks to VIP Patrons:

Dick Safranski
Jordan Mendez
Julian Padilla
Jessica Cook
Kate Hicks
Sara Chacon
Deacon Tim & Lily Roberto
Carrie Brzezinski
Frances Jones

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Claiming God's Promises

Welcome to Word for the Week, the series in which I:

share my experience of hearing God’s Word in Mass last weekend,
explore what I believe the Lord is calling me to do about that Word, and
ask how this Word might impact your life, as well.

--- 

My Word for the Week is “prophesy.” 

Last week, we couldn’t go to Mass again because of the quarantine. We had “home church” with our kids, instead. We sang songs, read the Mass readings, exchanged a sign of peace, and prayed to receive “spiritual communion.” Our kids behaved badly, for the most part. We ended up sending one of the kids into a timeout for a good portion of the “service.” Nonetheless, the prayer time was fruitful, and I felt a lot more peaceful the next day. 

The word that stood out to me from the Mass readings was “prophesy.” It must have been in the first reading: our son really wanted to proclaim it straight from his own Bible, so I can’t even find the same translation now. It seemed throughout the week that the Lord wasn’t revealing much personal meaning to me from that word.

But then I noticed two things that helped draw out the good news. First, I saw Mercedes’ shadow on our back-yard wall. She was swinging from a tree branch, a picture of idyllic childhood. I realized maybe the Lord was calling me to be like Mercedes: more carefree, and without the need to understand His word on an intellectual level.

Secondly, the Lord helped me remember that all week I’ve been repeating the phrase, “God provides.” And He has! The past week was filled with inspiration, joy, peace, happiness, sufficient school work for the kids, all the food that we need, and even toilet paper. I realized that Mercedes is able to be so carefree in part because we as her parents continue to speak promises of faith--to prophesy!

What promises of faith do you desire today? The Catechism paragraph 104 says, "In the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven comes lovingly to meet his children, and talks with them." If you need the reassurance of God’s Fatherly provision, like I do!, I’ll encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit for the grace to claim these words: 

“My God will fully supply whatever you need, in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” -Philippians 4:19

“If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.” -Matthew 7:12

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast. For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.” -Ephesians 8-10

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Special thanks to VIP Patrons:

Kim Moline
Dick Safranski
Jordan Mendez
Julian Padilla
Jessica Cook
Kate Hicks
Sara Chacon
Kelly Wesaw
Deacon Tim & Lily Roberto

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