Advent
December 19, 2016

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 9:2-7

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined. –Isaiah 9:2

I cleaned out my purse this afternoon. It was stuffed with the many receipts from Christmas shopping and the many other sundry pieces of paper that end up in my purse because there is nowhere to throw them away at the time I need to dispose of them. In my digging, I found a tiny little flashlight, don’t remember when I got it. It is just slightly bigger than a double A battery, has an advertisement on the side, a very bright LED light bulb, and a key chain on the opposite end. Such a light would be very useful in an emergency but is of no use in the clutter of my purse.

Did the people Isaiah describes profit from seeing the great light? I wonder how often God shines a great light on dark situations and the people who see it fail to comprehend what it illuminates?

Advent is a time to follow the beams of light that God shines showing paths of peace and justice that lead to God’s love being manifested. Seeing the light requires us to remove the logs from our eyes that blind us to God’s truth. Often, we may already know God’s truth but are unwilling to accept it because it does not fit our perfect plan for ourselves. Sharing our fears and feelings through prayer with God is a great way to start toward finding the common ground upon which together with God through Christ, we can find our way.

Prayer: God, grant us the vision to see our way through the light of your love and the courage to step out in faith and follow it. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, by permission. All rights reserved.