Monday – Read Isaiah 60:1-3; John 1:1-9. Drawn to the Light. The prophet, Isaiah, spoke of the promise of God’s Light coming into the world. Isaiah says that the LORD is the Light of the world. John’s Gospel will later proclaim that Jesus, the Word, is the light of all people. It has always been God’s plan to draw all people to the Light of God, and God reflects this Light through God’s people to shatter the darkness. You see, when you are part of God’s people you don’t escape the darkness, but you deal with it differently. You look to the Light and arise out of despair and lethargy into hope. Isaiah says, 3 “Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” Unchurched people are drawn to God’s Light shining through you. Maybe you didn’t know that other people see God’s Light coming out of you, but that’s what happens when the Holy Spirit is at work in your life. People are drawn to the Holy Spirit. When they sense God’s Spirit at work in your life they say, “I want what she has.” They want to come into God’s Light. Unchurched people and nominally religious people are more open to an invitation to come to church during the Advent and Christmas seasons. Think of someone who does not have a church home or who has not been at church in a long time. Pray for that person and find a way to shine the light of Christ into his or her life. Invite the person to worship with us during Advent and on Christmas Eve.

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Tuesday – Read Isaiah 60:4-6. Home for Christmas. There is something about Christmas that brings family and friends together. The world pauses on December 25 as we celebrate the birth of the newborn King in Bethlehem. People travel from across the land to be with family and loved ones during Christmas. Isaiah speaks of a great reversal which will bring home the last of the scattered sons and daughters of Israel from exile. For as long as anyone could remember, Israel paid imperial tribute to others nations. Now the process will be reversed with the wealth of nations given to Israel. Isaiah says that when your children come home, “Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice/be enlarged.” Isaiah means your heart will grow with joy because of all the people who will come home to celebrate what God has done at Christmas. Believers and unbelievers will worship the Living God. Isaiah says, “They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.” This prophecy was fulfilled when Wise Men from the East, representatives of the Gentile world, brought their best gifts to the Christ child to acknowledge that he was the Messiah, the Anointed One. Pray for the members of your family to be able to come home for Christmas and experience the hope and joy of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

 

Wednesday – Read Matthew 2:1-2. The Magi. Magi were not kings but rather philosophers, astrologers/astronomers who believed that stars could tell about events happening here on earth. They were wise sages, and some of them were con artists who just wanted to make some money. They probably came from modern Iran and did not arrive until some time after Jesus was born. They travelled a thousand miles to worship the newborn King. No one would expect non-Hebrew scholars to come that far to worship the one born “king of the Jews.” Matthew is reminding us that all people are made in the image of God and that Jesus was born to be the King for all people. Roman historians Suetonius and Tacitus wrote that when Jesus was born, an ancient prophecy led to a common belief in the East that a world ruler would rise in Judea. They both mistakenly thought the prophecy meant Emperor Vespasian. Those Romans didn’t get it; the magi did. Ask God to help you discern how God is at work in your life and in the world around you.

 

Thursday – Read Isaiah 9:2. Light in the Darkness. In Isaiah’s day, Israel faced the looming prospect of darkness. Babylon’s armies would defeat them. Many of them would die; Babylon would carry others away as exiles. That darkness ended, but dark times are still a regular part of the human condition. We live with the darkness of sin and death. We still need to hear that the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. In what ways do you need God’s light to shine in your life? As you think about the images of light and darkness, consider what it is like for people to live in the darkness of not knowing Jesus Christ who is the Light of the world. How has Jesus shined light into your life? Think about some of the people you know who do not have a church home or who do not intimately know the love of God. Pray for them, and ask God to give you an opportunity to invite this person or persons to come to worship with us on Sunday or on Christmas Eve.

 

Friday – Read Luke 1:78-79. Light and Peace. Centuries later when John the Baptist was born, his father, Zechariah, spoke of light and peace: 78 By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” God shatters our darkness through Jesus who is the Light of the world. He brings light and life and hope and peace. Israel was an occupied state, so in one way, peace meant that Jesus would save them from the violence of Rome, but Zechariah also saw that Jesus would offer us peace in a way that goes beyond our geo-political situation. In darkness of death, Jesus shines light that brings peace and life. A life without Jesus Christ is a life without peace, and a life with Jesus Christ brings the peace that passes all understanding. Ask Jesus to shine light into your darkness and guide your feet into the way of peace.

 

Saturday – Read Luke 2:22-35 and Isaiah 42:6; 49:6. A Light for Revelation to the Gentiles. Simeon prayed for the consolation of Israel for 57 years. Can you imagine the joy Simeon felt when he saw God’s salvation embodied in the baby Jesus? Taking the baby in his arms he proclaimed, 29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” Simeon’s words of praise echoed the language of Isaiah 42:6 and 49:6 which spoke of “the servant of the Lord” being a light to the Gentiles. This is Good News for gentiles and anyone who is not part of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. We are included in God’s plan for salvation. The Light of Jesus draws all people to the One True God. As you pray, thank God for including you in God’s plan for salvation.