Prepare to Listen. Arise, shine; for your light has come.
Prayerfully Read Isaiah 60:1-5 Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 2For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. 3Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms. 5Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. Prayerfully Wonder Two commands: Arise. Shine. The reason for them: “for your light has come.” And that light is the glory of the LORD. It has come, risen upon us in Jesus who is the light and who gives light. It has nothing to do with our works or beliefs. Not surprisingly Jesus said to his disciples, as a statement of fact, not a command: “You are the light of the world.”[1] When the angels appeared to the shepherds after the birth of Jesus, the glory of the Lord shone around them.[2] The LORD has risen upon us, his glory has appeared over us. Arise and shine so that the world sees God’s glory. Despite the thick darkness around us today, a darkness of negativity, fear, violence, a darkness that makes seeing and experiencing God’s presence almost impossible, despite all that God breaks through in glory, a glory that is light. It’s what we hope for in these times of negativity, fear and violence. The glory is God’s power and majesty shining on us. This light will be like a magnet drawing all nations out of their darkness to the Lord’s glory. Two additional commands are given: Lift up your eyes and look around. Imagine looking and seeing all nations coming to the Lord brought into the light of God’s glory. Rejoice because God’s blessing extends to all nations. As Motyer notes, “the world is saved in the salvation of Zion,”[3] that is, in God’s people. Prayerfully Reflect What does it mean to you to arise and shine today? Prayerfully Respond Help me live today as your light in the world, as a magnet that draws many to you because they see your glory and not me. Amen. Live obediently. Arise and shine. [1] Matthew 5:14. [2] Luke 2:9. [3] Motyer, J. Alec. The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993, p. 494.
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