Introduction
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For six years, I’ve had the privilege of serving on the Trinity staff. In that span, I’ve noticed how sunlight graces the sanctuary. It filters through windows and shutters, and somehow makes a decision to showcase an assortment of fixtures. Those images intrigued me, and I wondered how we might capture the casting of that natural light.
Even though he thought I had lost my mind, Pastor Larry Lenow agreed to let us position a camera in the balcony during Advent 2016. Trinity member, Dianne Moore, was the technical genius for programming the camera’s magic. By the end of Advent we had over 10,000 photographs taken 24/7. For months, Dianne scoured the photos, and by mid-summer she had a stack for our team to review. We had to scrunch the stack down to 24 photographs for this booklet. Next, we had to find 24 brave souls who were willing to write a devotional based upon the photograph and preselected scripture. Thankfully we did.
My wife’s college roommate, Beverly Neely Bruce, was a gifted North Carolina artist. From Beverly’s skillful eyes, I learned to appreciate light in photography. A photo from her church captures the gentle grace of light falling on wood. Sadly, Beverly lost a long battle with cancer. But the light captured in her photograph reminds me how important light is in our lives.
This Advent, don’t overlook the celebration of Jesus’ birth light. Carry it with you every day of the year!
Bill Pike