Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the LORD will arise upon you,
and his glory will be seen upon you.
3 And nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your rising.
I had a Great Uncle named Earl Boyer who came to stay with us once and all I remember is him yelling, “Rise and shine!!” at some obscene hour in the morning. I suppose his custom was to get up with the sun so when he was around, we did too. This promise for Israel is the proclamation of that first Christmas. For Israel, all had been dark but, believe it or not, it would get worse with captivity, the loss of the temple and the Ark of the Covenant, and the absence of hope. Here is hope from Isaiah that the light will come and it will be for all people. No more darkness!
Yesterday was the shortest day of 2021. Therefore, it was the darkest, technically. Figuratively though, there have been some very dark days, though longer, this year. The darkness of the past two years can make it hard to get out of bed and for many, that is just the case. So many have lost purpose in the world and employers cannot find workers because some see no point. It is hard for those of us in the light to envision how it is to walk in the darkness, groping for a handhold. We have the Bible and prayer while they don’t. Today let’s get up with the Son…
Rise and Shine!
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church