Wonder Of Advent #38

Your Light Shining

Read: Isaiah 60:1-3

Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the LORD rises and appears over you.

Isaiah 60:2-3

IT HAPPENED JUST AS ISAIAH SAID. A people in great darkness saw a great light. The glory of the Lord really rose upon his people. The light that came into the world was beautiful and poetic, scandalous and contentious, miraculous and meaningful, and full of humility and honor. God incarnate was born into seeming obscurity in Bethlehem, grew up in an out-of-the-way province of Rome, burst onto the stage with messages and miracles of truth and love, and then was raised up for all the world to see. The story of Advent really has become the story of our own rebirth, the new creation, the genesis in which God is making all things right again.

Though for ages all of heaven anticipated the coming of the Messiah and finally rejoiced one night in Bethlehem, the Nativity is clearly not the end of the story. It’s just the beginning. In the New Testament era, the world began to see the work of God in the lives of ordinary people—a divine treasure in vessels of clay—and were drawn to him. For many, no debates were settled, and they still aren’t. People argue over the authenticity of the spiritual life to this day. But according to prophecy, we have a significant part to play. The light that came into the darkness is not just the light of the Messiah; it’s ours. The closer we come to Christ, the more we take on his radiance. We are filled with his presence and his joy. Isaiah didn’t say all nations would come to Jesus’ light; he said they would come to ours (Isaiah 60:3). When God’s people display his character and live in his power, those who have been groaning for redemption recognize the revelation of his nature, and new lives are birthed.

Few people know the hungers of their heart well enough to put their finger on their source, but when they see evidence of God at work—in the hearts of us, his people; in the circumstances of our lives; and in the power and purpose we display—that longing can be satisfied. A hungry soul has been invited to a buffet. A God who wants to be known has revealed his nature and urged a response. And something miraculous and beautiful is born into this world all over again.

Prayer

Lord, make me a demonstration of your nature. Let the groans of creation be satisfied in me and my fellow believers. Birth something beautiful in the lives of your people again and again. Amen.

REFLECTION

How is God’s nature revealed in his people? What beliefs, hopes, attitudes, and actions represent who he truly is?

Further reading: Matthew 5:14-16; John 20:21

Let every voice acclaim his name,

the grateful chorus swell.

From paradise to earth he came

that we with him might dwell.

“GESÙ BAMBINO,” PIETRO YON