(Excerpt from Cheryl Gnagey's Advent Devotional, "Jesus, Light
of the World," for preparing to light the fourth Advent
Candle, the Wise Men candle.)
Matthew 28: 1-10
"Had there ever been a darker day? 'How could they have crucified
Him? How could they have not know that He was the Light of our lives?
But now He is dead. He's gone, and the darkness is more than our souls
can endure.' could these have been the heart-wrenching thoughts of
those who had followed Jesus and had believed the He was the Son of
God? the would have been ours that day, I am quite sure.
Mary Magdalene had been demon-possessed, and He had cast seven demons
out of her. She had known Him personally as her Light. On the first
day after the Sabbath was over, this Mary, and another Mary (the mother
of James who was also called Jacob), and Salome were now able to do the
work that was required for burial. They left their homes early that day
and brought to the tomb the spices that were necessary for a proper
burial preparation of Jesus' body. The sun had barely risen in the sky
when they set off to the tomb in which Joseph of Arimathea had placed
Him There was not much to talk about as they walked to where He lay,
for their hearts were too heavy for idle chit-chat and too sad to speak
of their great sense of loss and sorrow. But all of a sudden, the
thought of the stone in front of the cave weighed heavy on them as they
wondered who might help them move it so that they could do what they had
come to do.
Approaching the tomb they saw an amazing sight. The stone was
already rolled to the side, and upon closer investigation, there minds
tried to understand why the tomb was empty. Jesus' body was not there!
A man wearing a white robe was sitting just to the right of the cave's
opening, and he told the three not to be afraid. But what were his next
words? Had he really said that?
'You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He
has risen; He is not here; behold here is the place where they laid
Him.'
Jesus . . . alive? How could it be? Was it really true? Oh, what
joy filled their souls as the reality of the scene settled upon them as
they stared at the empty tomb! The sorrow in their hearts melted away
as the words He had spoken to them just days before became a clear
reality in them. ' And on the third day I will rise from the dead.' At
that very moment, their darkest day had tuned into bright hopefulness
as the Light began to fill their hearts. The Light of the world was not
dead at all. He had risen from the dead. The words of the man in the
white robe rang in their ears as ran to tell the disciples this great
news. 'Jesus, your Light, is alive! He us on His way to Galilee where
you will will soon see Him!'
It's all such an incredible story, isn't it? From beginning to end
it is truly amazing! It requires faith to receive it and believe it,
doesn't it? Just like the wise men of old, the Magi of the greatest
story ever told, we only must study the story, recognize the miraculous
signs, and follow the Star, the Light of the world. Having done those
things, we must become again like the Magi. Our love, adoration, and
worship are the greatest treasures we can bring to the Light of the
world. As we offer ourselves up to Him, fully surrendered to His will
and fully crucified in our won flesh, His Light in us, the Holy Spirit,
will begin to shine outward to the world He is trying to reach. The
challenge to each one of us is to continue in daily fellowship with
Jesus, reading His word, praying, and obeying all that He says. Then He
will be able to fulfill His purposes for all men, both Jew and Gentile,
through those who are devoted to Him.
Won't you be a part of the continuing Christmas story, that is still
being read by the dark world today, by allowing His Light to shine out
of you and onto those who are in desperate need of the Light of the
world?"
