Arise, Shine

Isaiah 60:1-3
1 Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 2 For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. 3 Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

I write this devotion on the day of Epiphany, January 6th - the beginning of the season of light.   This is the light of Christ;  Jesus is revealed to be the Son of God.  “Arise, shine, for your light has come,” proclaims the prophet - declaring good news as exiles stream back to their homeland and the city of Jerusalem.

I write this devotion on a day in which another southwest Ohio “gray day” is in the forecast.  Clouds fill the sky, and the sun, it seems, will be hidden again.  When I was in college, my Grandma and I wrote letters to each other.  I loved reading her letters - she told me every detail that was going on with anyone in the family, and then, a weather statement - especially if the sun was shining that day.  She would write:  “The sun is shining bright today, and it sure does make a body feel good.”  Oh, how that would warm my own heart to read those words, and oh, how right she was.  The warmth of the sun and the brightness of the light DID make a body feel better!   I am longing for the light right now, and I am encouraged that we are several weeks past the Winter solstice.  Although it might not seem that the days are getting longer and the nights are getting shorter, at least in the northern hemisphere, they are.

In various ways, people are facing metaphorical dark times, as well.  Everyone is looking for some light to shine in their lives and in our world.  I encourage you to trust that even though it might be difficult to see at times, there is light shining; there is a light that no darkness can overcome.  Trust that it is present, and trust that the time will come when you will be able to see it and feel it enveloping your whole being.  Also trust that God can and will use you to reflect that light so that others, too, can see it.  “Arise, shine, for your light has come,” proclaimed the prophet of old; may we hear those words today, and may they reveal the truth of Christ’s shining presence in our midst - right here, right now.  Amen.