Light of the World

Light of the World is a celebration of Epiphany.  Epiphany comes from a Greek word meaning “reveal.” When the Savior was born, he was first revealed as love’s pure light to Israelites: Mary, Joseph, the shepherds. The Festival of Epiphany is sometimes known as Christmas for the Gentiles. We Gentiles (non-Jews) rejoice in the good news that this Jewish baby is a gift for all people, Christ the Savior of the world.

Crashing

Have you experienced it yet – that natural let down from the emotional high that Christmas brings to many of us? Family goes home or you leave the family. Back to work, back to school, back to whatever routine you call normal. We have the Christmas presents, but do we also have the Christmas bills that go along with them? While our emotions may come down, our spirits don’t have to. The spiritual high that is the celebration of the birth of our Savior continues as we celebrate the Epiphany of our Lord.

Darkness

Do you know anyone in the dark? I know so many, but the people I’ve been thinking about lately are the ones who have been in the dark over Christmas. These people may include some of you. They can’t possibly see the glory of Christmas – love and wonder because it’s covered. It’s covered by the emptiness of materialism. It’s covered by the bustle of Christmas parties and general business that goes with the season. Finally maybe this includes some of you, it’s covered by confusion and heartache that goes along with divorced families. For these people in the dark, Christmas and New Years may be seen as something to survive instead of an event to be celebrated.

Glory of the Lord

For anyone in the dark, Epiphany is a chance to celebrate Christmas without any of the distractions that can cover the Christ child. The January blues are a natural time to view the glory of the Lord in its full brilliance. The truth of God’s love transcends any one date on a calendar. It may be such a dark time as this for someone to see for who he really is. To see him as our substitute who kept God’s Law perfectly in our place for all the times we have failed. To see him as our substitute that endured the punishment reserved for me as he hung on the cross. In Jesus we and all people in the dark stand in the light of Jesus’ forgiveness. Does January have to be such a dark month? Not in view of the Lord’s glory.

Want to hear more?  Please watch this week’s message from Isaiah 60, Light of the World.