Creator of the stars of night,
Thy people’s everlasting Light:
O Christ, Redeemer, save us all
And hear Thy servants when they call.
(LSB 351:1)
“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.”
(Isaiah 9:2)
A Light in the Darkness
If you have ever been on a walk or hike at night, you know the uniqueness and challenge of moving at night. Without a light, roots, rocks, or uneven paths become obstacles to movement. Complete darkness was not the setting in which God intended His creation to live. He placed the sun, moon, and stars in the heavens above to govern the day and the night. He gave His creation light. Light gives growth, it illuminates, it exposes, it guides. But humanity rebelled, turning from the light of God’s Word to the darkness of sin. Humanity has walked in spiritual darkness since that fall, stumbling along the way.
But God remembered His people. Through God’s promise of a Messiah, God’s people were promised a light. They were promised a deliverer, Christ, the Morning Star, the One who shines with God’s Own truth and light. The darkness of sin is deep, yet God’s love in Christ shines on us and illumines our hearts and minds. Darkness cannot overcome light; so too Christ has overcome the world. With the light of God’s Word shining before us and the light of Christ in us, we wait for the return of the Morning Star who will deliver us from this land of deep darkness.
Let us pray: Light of the World, You were long foretold to be the light in a land of deep darkness. By Your Holy Spirit enlighten Your Church so that we may traverse this dark world with hope, love, and purity; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
(Written by Cory Kroonblawd, Sem II)