Jesus, Our Light - Day 7

The perfect Christmas present

I remember as a child pondering once on the curious circumstance of 'waking up' born into the world, not having had any say about when or where I would live, which family I would belong to, etc. It struck me how unbelievably fortunate we were to have discovered that our Maker was benevolent, that the universe ran by His love, that we didn't find ourselves the victims of some cruel experiment of a malevolent god.

Then, when I discovered that this terrible thing called 'the fall' and sin had happened to us, and that the good God had already taken care of it by the time I arrived on the scene through Jesus--well, I knew I wanted to belong to Him. If it took that kind of a price to fix me and the world, I could never honor Him enough, thank Him enough. By His grace, He revealed Himself to me and gave me new life in Christ.

The apostle John seems eager to communicate to his readers in his New Testament writings this whole idea of Jesus=Light=Life. In his gospel, he starts right out in the first chapter:

"In Him was life, and the life was the light of men,
and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it...
This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light,
that all through him might believe."
~ John 1:4-5, 7

Again, in his first letter, he starts right out:

"This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you,
that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all."
~ I John 1:5

"Darkness" here in the Greek is the word scotia, which means gloom, evil, sin, night, moral depravity.  It also has the implication of everything that came to us from the fall of man--enmity with God, our sinful nature, and every kind of demonic work in mankind.  All the trouble in our lives is some manifestation of the curse of darkness at work in the world.

But…

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
and comes down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."
~ James 1:17

That Christmas baby was the Father's good and perfect gift to us. Deliverance out of darkness, perfect Light, and eternal Life.

Thank You, Father!  Thank You, Jesus!

Jesus, Our Light - Day 6

He rewards the seeking heart

Within days of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem, his parents Joseph and Mary obeyed what all Jewish parents of firstborn sons were to do:  present him to the Lord in dedication at the Temple a few weeks after his circumcision.

Meanwhile, God was watching the heart of a certain elderly man in Jerusalem--nobody particularly special--whom the Bible says was "just and devout." This man Simeon was not only a passionate seeker of God, but he was waiting for the "Consolation of Israel," a beautiful phrase describing the Messiah.

Now I find it surprising that the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders were not on high alert at this time. It is not hard to calculate by the prophecy of the coming Messiah in Daniel 9:25-26 that the Messiah was going to appear any minute. (That's a great Bible study right there.)

So I wonder if maybe Simeon had figured this out, had maybe been asking God about it, pouring out the longing of his heart to see God's promise come to pass. Luke 2:26 tells us that the Holy Spirit gave him a very personal revelation--he would get to actually see the Christ before he died. Then he was directed to go to the Temple.

What a scene! There he was at the Temple, waiting, and here came Joseph and Mary to dedicate their new little son. Simeon sees the baby and knows--this is the One! Like Zacharias in his story, Simeon bursts into prophetic praise:

"Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
according to Your word;
for my eyes have seen Your salvation
which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of Your people Israel." 

~ Luke 2:29-32

What I love about Simeon's words is the direct promise that God's salvation would not only be for Israel but for the Gentiles--just what God had promised Abraham at the beginning. He's never left us out. His light is for everyone!

God, may my heart ever be like Simeon's, seeking You expectantly every day.

Jesus, Our Light - Day 5

The grand exchange

The Christmas story is filled with the imagery of both light and darkness. The angels of glory sang in the night sky, while Herod sent his soldiers to try and kill the baby Jesus. The age-old battle between good and evil, love and hate, light and darkness, was why God promised to send a Redeemer.

"And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
and deep darkness the people;
But the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.
The Gentiles shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your rising.”
~ Isaiah 60:1-3

We see here the sharp contrast between darkness and light. Doesn't it perfectly describe what we see everywhere? Darkness, 'deep darkness,' blinding and imprisoning people. Darkness makes us hopeless, helpless, and desperate. But light illuminates, helps us see clearly. Light drives away darkness.

In coming as a man, Jesus subjected himself to our 'deep darkness,' so that now he can restore the privilege of Kingdom living to each of us. We are set free from the devastating effects of our darkness, and in the exchange, we receive his light and forever-glory.

"…and giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to shar1in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
~ Colossians 1:12-13

How unbelievably blessed we are! Today may you experience in a new way the effect of His glorious light in every area of your life. And if you find yourself in 'deep darkness,' cry out to Him. He came for you.

Jesus, Our Light - Day 4

 

Everything we need

I wonder if Joseph and Mary had any idea as they gazed on their little newborn boy that night just what had really happened. They couldn't have fully understood the scope of the new era that had just begun for mankind. The curtains had been pulled back on God's eternal plan, and now his salvation was revealed for the whole world for all to see.

Could they have imagined that the prophecy Isaiah gave hundreds of years ago was being fulfilled tonight?

“... By way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined … For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder, and His name will be called
Wonderful,
Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace. 
Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end...”
~ Isaiah 9:2, 6-7

These words are found in one of the very moving passages in Handel's "Messiah" we hear at Christmas. Just ponder for a moment each of these names Jesus bears. He is the world's Messiah and Savior…Son of God and Son of Man…God Himself as part of the Trinity…the reigning King for all eternity…and bringer of Peace and perfect leadership for “us”--the ones He came for. 

This is what we celebrate!

In these troubled times, I often find myself praying the words of this passage. I need the Lord Jesus as my Peace. I need him as my perfect Wisdom. I need him to govern my life and the world around me. I need him to carry the daily burdens of my life for me. I need him to be the Light on my path.  

“Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end...”!

I can't say what comfort that brings to my heart and I hope in yours. He is on the increase! His kingdom will prevail—in this world He loves.

Jesus, Our Light - Day 3

God's light shows the way

It's interesting to see how God used light to reveal Jesus when He was born--by a star.

The wise men who came from somewhere in the east had an understanding that this unusual Star meant that the King of the Jews had been born (Matthew 2:1-11). In obedience to that revelation (prepared hearts!), they kept at their quest to find this baby King until that same star actually led them to the very spot. I love how God uses the symbolism of darkness and light here--stars don't shine during the day. It was in the darkness that the wise men found Jesus.

Centuries before, a prophet named Balaam had actually called the coming Messiah a Star:

"I see Him, but not now;
I behold Him, but not near;
A Star shall come out of Jacob;
A Scepter shall rise out Israel...
Out of Jacob One shall have dominion."
~ Numbers 24:17, 19

And the apostle Peter, writing years after Jesus' resurrection, uses the same symbolism to call us to the Light of Christ:

"And so we have the prophetic word confirmed,
which you do well to heed
as a light that shines in a dark place,
until the day dawns and the
morning star rises in your hearts..."
~ II Peter 1:19

Those wise men from the East has been on their quest for a long time, weeks or months. While we don't know how they knew the king of the Jews was about to be born, they were looking. I love how God guided them with light--"we saw his star as it rose"--and made their mission successful--"we have come to worship him."

Throughout their whole journey, right to the baby in the manger, the star guided them. It speaks to me of God's delight in a seeking heart. Are you looking for him today? Trying to find the big answers for your life? Don't give up! He always rewards those who are true seekers. He will see to it that you have his light to show you the way.

Jesus, Our Light - Day 2

 

Prepare your heart

Picture this scenario:  a few hundred years have gone by since Isaiah's prophesy about the coming Messiah, and Israel is still waiting. One day in the Temple in Jerusalem, one of the priests, Zacharias, is chosen by lot to burn incense before the Lord on the golden Altar of Incense, which stood at the doorway to the Holy of Holies.

While busy about his work, suddenly the angel Gabriel appears to him with an astonishing message from God. (There were a lot of angels in the Christmas story.) God was going to give Zacharias and his aged wife a son in answer to a long-time prayer, a baby boy they were to call John (which means "the Lord has shown favor").  John would be a prophet whose job would be to help prepare the hearts of God's people for the soon-to-appear Messiah.

Prepare their hearts?  Why? 

Well, hundreds of years with no prophetic messages from God and a history of national subjugation to foreign powers had dulled their zeal for their God. Sin, darkness, and unbelief had crept in.  (Sound familiar?)  A hard heart is like hard soil--it can't receive seed or water to nourish it.

So Zacharias, responding like perhaps many of us might have, said, "What?!  I'm too old for that! (Ahem. As a priest, he would have been well aware of the story of Abraham, their forefather, who had a miracle son at 100 years old.) Gabriel replies, "Okay, because you didn't believe me, you'll not be able to speak until the day this comes true--and it will come true."

And of course it did. Zacharias had to write notes and use sign language for many months to communicate. But in that silent time, he had a chance to prepare his own heart. I imagine he searched the Scriptures to see if this could be true, and you know what he might have found? The last message from God to Israel four hundred years earlier promised that God would send a prophet to "prepare the hearts of the people" (Malachi 4:5-6).

Those long months Zacharias had to ponder did their work in his heart. Little John was born and Zacharias' tongue was loosed. But instead of fear and unbelief, now the words poured out of his mouth in a prophetic song of praise. His first words were of the Messiah:

"Blessed is the Lord God of Israel,
for He has visited and redeemed His people...
as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets
who have been since the world began...
To grant us that we, being delivered from the
hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness
before Him all the days of our lives...
To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death
to guide our feet into the way of peace."
~ from Luke 1:67-79

Not many months later in a town not far away, John's cousin Jesus was born, another miracle baby.  But this one, The One, was He whom John would one day say, "He is preferred before me, whose sandal I am not worthy to loose." (John 1:27)

Just think--we don't have to wait like Zacharias did or Israel did. We can prepare our hearts right now--open them in fresh humility and thankfulness for God's incredible gift of salvation, our Jesus.

Jesus, Our Light - Day 1

One of my most favorite things about Christmastime is the lights everywhere--twinkling on the tree, sparkling on homes and streets and buildings, candles shining their warm and steady light.

But the world generally doesn't even know the real significance of those lights at Christmas, that Jesus came to be our Light, to shine on our darkness.  Without His Light we are blind and the darkness rules.

So starting today, I'd like to offer you my version of the "The Twelve Days of Christmas," a devotional thought each day for these days preceding Christmas. It's a thankful look at the beautiful gift the Father of Lights has given us.

His light in our darkness

"Behold!  My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights!  I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles...I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house..."  Isaiah 42:1, 6-7

From the time God gave Abraham the covenant promise that in him "all the families of the earth would be blessed" (Genesis 12:3), He meant everyone--the Jewish people and the Gentiles.  It was His plan from the beginning to redeem all mankind, all those who would accept it.  So in the passage above from the book of Isaiah, written hundreds of years before Jesus was born, we see His promise to give His Son as a covenant to us, our eternal Light.

In the years after Jesus' death and resurrection, the apostles initially preached to the Jews, proclaiming that their Messiah had come. But with broad rejection of that message, the apostle Paul, in obedience to that same revelation in the Isaiah passage, declared that the message was for the Gentiles, too.  In Acts 13:47-48, he says,

"...For so the Lord has commanded us: ' I have set You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.'  Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord."

God's great heart from the beginning always was to save the whole world. And now at Christmas, I like to think that the lights of the season are a new invitation to us to open our hearts and receive His Light, the baby in Bethlehem who came for us.