Day 1:
The glory of God's light brings hope to the darkness
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you" (Isaiah 60:1).
"Mith R, wheh mek yo' thell Granny rotten watermelon foh fifty thenths?" The lisping rebuke in local dialect sailed clear over the veranda and landed full force on the street below. My great aunt visibly cringed. The last thing she expected was that her four-year old grandson would publicly take up her private "cause" against her neighbor—that he would openly confront Mrs. R and demand a reason for selling his granny bad fruit for fifty cents!
Children often teach us hard lessons in discretion and integrity, as many of us have found out the hard way! Worse yet are those cringe-worthy moments when their unfiltered "wisdoms" leave us looking for the nearest hole...
Speaking of holes, I was probably way past the age for that special "she's-just-a-child"-grace when I wandered deep into the belly of childish tactlessness. I was nine years old, and I was very excited. At long last, our remote section of the village was getting electricity!
I lived in "Village" the section in my rural community where every possible obstacle conspired to close ranks against the modern. For one reason or another, pipes could not be lain for running water, telephone lines could not be run, electric poles could not be installed. So the outside world stopped at "Junction" and "Village" remained hostage to antiquity while the rest of the world moved on.
But tonight—tonight, light had arrived! The cheers went up as a switch was flicked, and suddenly the collective force of sixty-watt brilliance overcame my nine years of darkness. Listening to the excited chatter all around me, I could hardly contain myself. And suddenly in the middle of a lull, I decided to express astonishment at how deep-set my aunt's eyes were!
She was not amused! For one thing, my aunt had always been self-conscious about her eyes, and for another, my "What big eyes you have" moment couldn't have been more ill-timed, with half the village listening.
My mother was away on long leave (sabbatical) so my "in charge" aunt gave me an earful about respect; caustically questioning why I had not realized her eyes were deep-set until the advent of electricity!
She was right of course—I was way out of line—carried away by childish exuberance. But in another very real sense, she was right in pointing out that light reveals uncomfortable things that are hidden in the darkness.
The prophet Isaiah, in foretelling the birth of the Messiah about 700 years before Jesus was born, describes His advent as light coming into the "thick darkness" of the world: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you (Isaiah 61:1-2).
Another Isaiah prophecy describes the impact of Jesus' light in the vicinity where He would live: …In the future [God] will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned (Isaiah 9:2).
The passage goes on to give details of God's plan for saving humanity from the darkness and death of sin, and for setting up His everlasting kingdom: For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6).
As we rush headlong into the Christmas season with its many demands and priorities, we can easily miss the opportunity to stop and savor the true meaning of God's gift to humanity. A meaning that gives great cause for hope as we wrestle with the darkness all around us. So in all our preoccupations with mangers, or angels, or shepherds, or presents, or songs, or lights on a tree, let us pause and listen closely to the message of Christmas, "Your light has come!"
The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin, The Light of the world is Jesus! Like sunshine at noonday, His glory shone in; The Light of the world is Jesus!
Refrain: Come to the light, ’tis shining for thee; Sweetly the light has dawned upon me; Once I was blind, but now I can see: The Light of the world is Jesus!
No darkness have we who in Jesus abide; The Light of the world is Jesus! We walk in the light when we follow our Guide! The Light of the world is Jesus!
Ye dwellers in darkness with sin-blinded eyes, The Light of the world is Jesus! Go, wash at His bidding, and light will arise; The Light of the world is Jesus!
No need of the sunlight in Heaven we’re told; The Light of the world is Jesus! The Lamb is the Light in the city of gold, The Light of the world is Jesus!
~ Phillip P. Bliss ~ 1875
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