We Have Seen a Great Light
Today’s Advent Bible Verse:
Isaiah 9:2 ESV
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
We have mystery drones flying in our skies in New Jersey. The weather on Wednesday caused difficulty in traveling. And watching the local news nowadays is just depressing, with killings, knifings, and general sadness leading the broadcasts. Worry. Grief. Loneliness. The weariness of life. We are living in darkness.
The prophet Isaiah knew this feeling. He spoke to a people living under the threat of oppression, surrounded by enemies and seemingly abandoned by God. Yet through this darkness, he proclaimed a message of hope: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.”
This is the heart of Advent. We remember the world’s darkness, the very darkness into which our Lord Jesus was born. It is a world desperately in need of rescue, not too dissimilar to our own.
All of us can walk through the shadows of this life. Indeed, we experience darkness. Our light is Jesus. The Light of the world shone into the darkness of our hearts and the world. He came to bring hope where there was only despair, forgiveness where there was only guilt, and life where there was death.
As we light candles and prepare our hearts for His coming this Advent season, let us not be afraid of the darkness. Remember that the light of Jesus shines in the darkness.
Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Dear God, thank You for the gift of each new day. Please help us to find joy in your presence, even during our challenges. We look forward to the day when You will come again in glory. In the meantime, please help us to live each day to the fullest, knowing that You are always with us. We pray through Your blessed Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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