Our light, our hope

As we fast approach December 25th, I hope to write a few meditations on Christmas this week.

I was recently reading Isaiah 59-60, admittedly not the first passage most people go to when thinking about Christmas.

But it does go to the very heart of what Christmas is all about.

Isaiah wrote,

Indeed, the Lord’s arm is not too weak to save,
and his ear is not too deaf to hear.

But your iniquities are separating you
from your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you
so that he does not listen. (Isaiah 59:1-2)

We live in a world now where people take sin very lightly. They scoff at the idea that they could have possibly offended a righteous God.

But in times of trouble, they cry out to God, and when he is silent, they wonder why he doesn’t seem to hear.

As a result, many start to doubt his very existence. And yet they fail to see that their sin has separated them from him.

Isaiah writes,

For our transgressions have multiplied before you,
and our sins testify against us.

For our transgressions are with us,
and we know our iniquities:
transgression and deception against the Lord,
turning away from following our God,
speaking oppression and revolt,
conceiving and uttering lying words from the heart. (Isaiah 59:12-13)

Notice here who is the primary one offended. It is not the people around us that we have hurt. It is God.

Isaiah prays, “Our transgressions have multiplied against you, Lord. Our transgression and deception is against our Lord.”

And then Isaiah gives the ultimate definition of sin: turning away from our God, revolting against him.

The result of our rebellion? A broken world filled with broken people. What was God’s response?

He saw that there was no man—
he was amazed that there was no one interceding…(Isaiah 59:16a)

But God did not simply wonder at the terrible situation. Since no one was interceding, he himself interceded.

so his own arm brought salvation,
and his own righteousness supported him.

He put on righteousness as body armor,
and a helmet of salvation on his head…

“The Redeemer will come to Zion,
and to those in Jacob who turn from transgression.” (Isaiah 59:16b-17)

And that is what Christmas is all about. The Redeemer has come bringing us salvation from our sins.

But more than that, the day is coming when he will return, judging this world and bringing the justice we all long for. And on that day, all will fear the Lord, every knee bowing, and every tongue confessing Jesus Christ is Lord. (Isaiah 59:17b-19)

So God tells us,

Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord shines over you.

For look, darkness will cover the earth,
and total darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will shine over you,
and his glory will appear over you.

Nations will come to your light,
and kings to your shining brightness. (Isaiah 60:1-3)

God never promised us a life that is always happy and free from trouble. Even now, we see darkness covering this earth.

We see it in the Corona virus. We see it in violence. We see it in broken families. We see it in broken lives.

But our light, Jesus, has come. And he shines over us and through us.

This Christmas, may Jesus shine through us that all who see us may come to him who is our light and find the hope of salvation we have in him.