12-22-2017

Good Morning All,

          Isaiah 9:2; “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.”

    I think that one of the most beautiful times of the day is right before sunrise.  At least in our corner of paradise, it is the calmest and most peaceful time of the day.  The quiet, the lightening of the sky, the stroke of colors across the sky can be breathtaking.  The other thing about daybreak is that the sun always promises a new day.  It promises new opportunity and new life.

O Morning Star,

splendour of light eternal and sun of righteousness:

Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

A more literal translation would be “rising sun” rather than “morning star”.  Morning Star may be more poetic but Rising Sun fits the meaning a little better.  The rising sun brings light.  It is greater than a star.  It is the light that fills the sky completely with the light of day.  It radiance is seen and felt by everyone and cannot be avoided.  Even if you try to hide in the shade, the sun impacts you.  That is what the coming of Jesus will be like.  It will be felt by everyone.  No one will be able to hide from Him.  To those who do not believe, it will be a terrible event.  It will be the most fearful day of their existence.  All their denial and hatred will be shown to be the evil that it truly is.

    But for us, for those who believe, it will be the glorious start to a new day, to a new life.  We no longer dwell in the darkness of sin and pain and sorrow.  We will no longer have death as the final enemy.  All will be defeated and all will be completely placed under the foot of Jesus and will be finally and ultimately and utterly destroyed.  With that, there will usher in a new life, a new creation, the recreated creation.  It will no longer be marred by the pain of sin.  This dawning of the new light will be the end of pain and sorrow and suffering.  This new light will be the descending of the heavenly kingdom to us.  We will be living with all the saints together in glory with Christ as our King and as our Light.

    This is what we wait for, this is what we long for; the return of Jesus as King victorious.  The beginning of the returned Christ will be the end of darkness and the end of the shadow of death.  Death will be no more.  Only joy, peace will exist.  We will once again walk with God in the cool of the morning.  The new dawn will emerge and gladness will fill our hearts and lives.

O Morning Star, you bring the gladness of your light to us.  You bring us new life.  Now we have hope; yet soon, very soon we will have fulfilment.  Guide us and protect us until that day when we will live with you.  Keep us in your arms and keep us safe with you.  Be with those who still fear the shadow of death and live in the darkness of sin.  Give them your Spirit that they may be free from the devil’s attacks.  In Your precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret