Jesus, Light of the World (12-23-12)

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(Excerpt from Cheryl Gnagey's Advent Devotional, "Jesus, Light of the World," for preparing to light all of the Advent Candles and the Christ candle.)
"Since the creation of the world when God said, 'Let there be light,' our dark world has been influenced by the illuminating quality of light.  God always intended for the darkness to be separated from the light, and that principle has deep spiritual ramifications as well.  Once, while we were still sinners, Christ came into the world bringing His light, so that we might come in faith to Him.  When we did, we began to walk in the Light of Christ.
Today, as we consider all of the Advent Candles and their significance to our walk, we are again reminded of the importance of light in the Christmas story as we have been studying it in this blog devotional.  Think back with me to the very first candle of Advent, the Prophesy Candle.  Isaiah told us of the coming of the Messiah.  He told us of a Light that would come out of Galilee;  that those who walked in darkness would see this light; and that the Light would shine on them.  Later, Isaiah said to us all, 'Arise, shine, for the Light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon us.'  His prophecy foretells the Light of Christ coming into the souls of humans who have been darkened by the sin found in their hearts.  Once inside of us, though, this Light will now be seen by others who walk in the same darkness in which we once walked.  How we thank you Lord, for the prophets of old who told us that You would come.
Next, let's contemplate the Bethlehem Candle, our second Advent Candle.  We remember that God revealed the Light of the world to an obscure village and its people.  On a dark hillside outside of Bethlehem, the shepherds were astonished when all at once an angel lit up the entire night sky with all the glory of Heaven itself.  The angel stood in the shepherds' presence and declared to then the good news of great joy.  But God did not stop with just one angel.  He sent down a multitude of these heavenly bodies who brought glory to the Christ Child, the Light of the world, and the warmth of the Light surrounding them comforted the shepherds as they heard the good news of a Savior who had been born in Bethlehem.
As we consider the only pink candle in the Advent Wreath, our thoughts return again to the words of the angels.  This pink candle, the third Advent Candle, represents the good news of salvation in Christ alone.  Because this Infant God would bear in His body our sin, of which He would die from the punishment He would take for us, we would no longer have to be separated from God if we would but realize that His bloodshed was the only  punishment needed for our sinfulness.  The color of the candle represents blood that now saves us, something we could never do for ourselves.  Jesus accomplish this salvation because He was the perfect and holy sacrifice that was required.  Now we must share this good news of salvation in Christ with others, carrying to others the only Light that can now brighten their darkness like the noonday sun.
Our last candle in the wreath, the third purple one, causes us to remember the wise men who traveled so very far to come and worship whomever the star would lead them to.  By a bright heavenly star, God lead these brilliant men to a tiny child who would become the Savior of the world.  These men followed a light to the Light!  To follow the directions of the star was their obedience to God, and such obedience led them to the Light.  This candle, the Wise Men Candle, teaches us what our response should now be to so great a Light and Salvation.  We should, like them, follow with joy, obeying all He tells us to do.
We have one last candle to light.  It is not in the wreath itself, but stands tall above the four, in the center of the wreath.  This is the Christ Candle and it symbolizes the purity and holiness of Christ, the One who is to be the most see in all that we do, a shining example of who we are to be.  The light of His candle should prompt our hearts and spirits to reflect that same light, His light.  The Christ Candle calls believers to a deeper walk of commitment as we face the coming New Year.  So let's join our spirits together in a prayer of just such a commitment as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, the Light of your world and mine.  Will you pray with me?
Precious Light of the world, how we desire to worship You in a new and fresh way.  Today, we want to offer You a sacrifice similar to the wise men who brought their very best to You.  Teach us the deeper meaning of Your birthday story. 
In the coming year . . .

• let us arise from our complacency and shine Your light to others, lighting their way to You,
• let us run to meet with You, Jesus, and then run to tell others of Your transforming light,
• let us remember the sinful state from which we have been saved and learn to walk daily in the light of Your salvation
• and let us follow diligently after You, O Bright and Morning Star, for You are the Light of the world, and our Light and salvation, and we rejoice in You!  In Your holy and most precious name we pray, Amen."

Merry Christmas, my dear readers!  And may 2013 be a bright year, filled with the Light of Jesus, the Light of the world!
Watch for more blogs after the New Year!
Blessings to you all!

Jesus, Light of the World (12-8-12)

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(Excerpt from Cheryl Gnagey's Advent Devotional, "Jesus, Light of the World," for preparing to light the second Advent Candle, the Bethlehem candle.)

Acts 26:1-18
"The apostle Paul finds himself standing before King Agrippa fighting for his very life.  His own people, the Jews, have turned on him because of his faith in Jesus, the Messiah, whom they don't believe has come yet.  They want Paul dead!  but his battle is truly not with his flesh and blood brothers.  His battle is with the enemy of Jesus, Satan.  The enemy has heard that Paul is being sent out to the Gentile race.  For the first time, the enemy is battling God's plan for all mankind, not just His plan for His chosen people.

Paul is his own defense lawyer and pleads his case to the king.  He tells the king his entire testimony, from being a devout Jew, to persecuting the followers of Jesus, to his personal, life-changing encounter with a 'light from heaven.'  And he told him that opt of that very light cam a voice, the voice of Jesus, the true light.

Paul relates to King Agrippa his call to ministry, to minister to the Gentiles.  What was it the Jesus had said to him on the fateful day?  The Light said,

'Arise, and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the tings in which I will appear to you; delivering you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.'

Jesus, the Light of the world, calls us to open our eyes and turn to Him in all things.  By turning to the Light, we are turning away from the darkness.  No longer can Satan, the enemy of our walk with the Light, have rule and dominion over us when our eyes are focused and fixed on Jesus, and we are obeying His commands.

We initially set our focus on Jesus when we came to Him in faith, believing the He is the Son of God and our Savior from sin and death.  But we are not to leave our focused gaze behind once we have come to Jesus.  Our focus should remain the same.  With our eyes opened wide and fixed on Him, we can remain in His light.  That light will then begin to reveal to us moment to moment those places in our lives where we are walking in our own flesh and desires, our own understanding and in our own strength.  Once they are revealed in the light of Christ, our daily sin issues can be immediately confessed and surrendered to Christ, our Savior.

Thank God today for your Christian heritage that can be traced back to Paul, God's devoted servant to our race.  Thank God that His plan of salvation included us!  Thank Him for appearing to Paul 'as a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining all around.'  Confess your sins to Jesus, turning from the 'darkness of Bethlehem,' and standing instead in the light of His glorious Presence!"

Jesus, Light of the World (12-4-12)

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Luke 2:7

(Second Advent Candle :  The Bethlehem Candle)

Can you imagine having traveled the treacherous and dusty roads from Nazareth to Jerusalem on the back off a donkey, and being nine months pregnant at the same time?  How relieved you would be to finally reach your destination, to climb down from the donkey, and find a place to rest your weary body while you prepared to give birth!  Now imagine hearing these words when you finally did arrive:

"'No rooms are available in my inn, and the rest of the town seems to be filled up as well.  It is late.  If only you had arrived a bit earlier,' the innkeeper told them.  'I am sorry,' he said, hanging his head because he sensed their great need, seeing that the woman was clearly in labor and about to give birth to a child.

Fear and anxiety surely flooded Mary's soul.  'How could this be?  No rooms?  No room for the mother of the Messiah who would be born soon?'  The questions seemed to flood Mary's thoughts as she considered this part of the plans of the God who had brought about so great a miracle as her immaculate conception.  But Mary's thoughts were quickly interrupted by the voice of the owner of the inn, and her heart was at once put to rest.  At least she would not be without some shelter.

'Sir, you must be exhausted from your journey, and your wife looks to be suffering greatly with labor.  I know it is not much, but it is the only thing I have left to offer you.  In the back of my inn there is a humble stable, and it is empty right now.  I know how filthy it is, and I do not wish to insult you.  I know it is not a suitable place for the birth of a baby, but there is fresh hay there, and water nearby.  It will at least be very private.  Please, use it if you would like.'  With no other options the nervous Joseph accepted the kind offer.

The only light in the darkness of the dirty stable came from a lantern hanging in the corner.  As Mary labored to bring her baby into the world, Joseph stood close by, feeling helpless at times, and fetching a cool cloth for her forehead as she needed it.  Their prayers for help and safety reached their God, and in the fullness of time, Jesus, the Light of the world, entered the very world He had been sent to by the Father.

If one would have been allowed to watch those world changing events, one thing would have surely been noticed.  Only one thing would have surely been noticeably different in that rickety old stable.  Yes, the dim light of the lantern would still be flickering in the night, but something new has come.  A panoramic view would reveal the change that had come.  It is that tiny infant that Mary laid in the fresh straw in the feeding trough.  It is Jesus and the heavenly and spiritual light that is emanating from Him!

That is what happens to one who is touched by the love of Jesus.  Our Savior looks down from His heavenly throne into the dark hearts of mankind.  When He sees a heart that is looking for Him, He comes into that sin-darkened heart, and the Light of His presence resides there and begins to emanate out of the new believer.  Once our eyes are opened as the scales of sin begin to fall away,  Jesus becomes the Light we need for our journey through this dark world.  He is our Light!

Why did God choose for Jesus to born in a humble, dirty, dark stable?  Because He wanted to show us a picture of Jesus' great desire to enter our dirty, sin-stained lives and bring us to the light of His glory.  God shows us, through the particular circumstances of the first Christmas, to what great lengths He will go to rescue us from our very own dirty, dark 'stables' of sin and darkness.

Take time today to thank Jesus for His humility and love for you.  Thank Him that He is your Light on your journey.  And it might be wise to consider the offering of the innkeeper.  The stable was the very last space he had left to give.  What we daily give to Jesus should not be the leftovers of the day, the last little bit before we fall asleep.  Don't do everything that you have to do today, and then offer Him the very last place of priority.  Begin to get into the practice of giving Him the best part, the first part, not your leftover 'stables' after all  your busy-ness has been carried out.  After all, the Christmas celebration is in His honor.  Don't forget to invite the Guest of Honor to the party!"

Jesus, Light of the World (12-3-12)

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Luke 2: 4-5

This week we will be preparing our hearts for the lighting of the second Advent Candle this coming Sunday.  The second purple candle of the Advent Wreath traditionally represents Bethlehem.  Our first candle, if you remember, pointed us back to the prophets who foretold the coming of Jesus, the Light of the world.  It seems quite appropriate that the second candle would encourage us next to remember the very place where Jesus was born.  Pondering Bethlehem this week, take time to consider where you are spiritually at currently, how Jesus can use someone as insignificant as we are, and even where Jesus found you when He drew you to His Light.  Take a look at today's Scripture.  Then travel back with me for a moment to ancient Bethlehem.

"Can you imagine the scene?  Bethlehem, the 'too little' city (Micah 5:2), teeming with more people than it could hold, animals running wildly in the dirty streets, more noise than the native could possibly stand, and of course, an astronomical increase in commerce!  Caesar Augustus surely had only given them a certain amount of time to get themselves registered under his census.  This description of Bethlehem sounds a little like our malls at Christmas, doesn't it?  It seems that there are just too many people, too much commotion, too many kids who are whining and crying as they stand in line to see Santa.  And every year, starting the day after Halloween, we feel the pressure of the short amount of time we have left to get everything bought, prepared,  and sent.  The 'countdown' to Christmas creates its own kind of frenzy, as we 'buy' into the pressures of Christmas, the pressures that we have created for ourselves.

But the spiritual scene of Bethlehem was far bleaker than the physical chaos of the day.  You see, for all who lived in or traveled to Bethlehem, whether Jew or Gentile, whether under the Law given by Moses or under Roman Law, this one thing was sure:  those who were gathering in Bethlehem were without a Savior.  The Messiah had not yet come, and spiritual darkness was the rule of the day.  The same could be said of most people today.

For the Jews, the only way that they could escape from sin was through their yearly atonement for their sins, a day called Yom Kippur.  Each year they would come and offer a sacrifice at the temple to remove God's penalty that they should receive for the sins that they had committed that year.  That is what they were required to do.  But that Law could never set them free from sinning again.   Returning to the temple and repeating this process, over and over again, for their entire lives, only left them in the exact same spiritual place.  They would continue to live in utter darkness because the Light had yet to shine into their personal darkness.

If we are believers in Christ, we have already experienced the freedom for sin that can only be found in Him.  But generally speaking, we still live in a very dark world.  Many, if not most, of our family members, our co-workers, the shoppers, the sales people, and the cashiers, and even our fellow football enthusiasts are still trapped in their sin and darkness, with no way of escape as long as they are continue to refuse the forgiveness of Christ.  There might even be some with whom we worship every Sunday who have not truly given themselves to the Christ Child.  The Light is not in them, and just like the Jews, and the Gentiles who were not yet grafted into God's family, people are lost and are living in the exact same total darkness.

Our reading for today tells of a man and woman who have made a very difficult journey to Bethlehem.  They were obedient to the one who was their earthly ruler, even though the trip would be quite uncomfortable, having been required of them at what appeared to be an ill-timed moment.  However, as the Lord would have it, Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem just in time for Mary to give birth to Jesus, the Light of the world.  That very night the Light would shine brightly in dark and sinful Bethlehem.  And with the passing of time, that Light has now spread to the entire world.

The time has come for you to step out in faith and bring the Light to someone you know who doesn't yet have the joy and the Light of Bethlehem.  Be obedient to the call of the One you claim is the Ruler of your life and preach the good news!  You might feel uncomfortable, even as Mary did as she traveled for days on a donkey in rough terrain being nine months pregnant, but it will be worth it!  Watch this week, and throughout the season, for someone with whom you can share your precious Light."