Arise, Shine
by Beverly Marshall-Goodell
Isaiah 60:1-6
January 4, 2015
I somehow missed it last year, but this year it was impossible for me to miss the commercials
advertising the second installment of ABC’s holiday special,
The Great Christmas Light Fight.
As their commercials proclaim, the battle for lights is on!
The participating families were chosen through an extensive nationwide search,
based on their previous elaborate Christmas light displays.
The show features families who have decorated their homes and their yards
with Santas, elves, reindeer, snowmen, candy canes, and trees, all covered with lights.
One competitor summed up his focus this Christmas as “bigger, brighter, and better.”
I can appreciate the beauty of a few decorations and lights at Christmas,
but I think these “over the top” displays put the emphasis on electric lights
at the expense of Jesus as the Light of the world.
This week we hear from the prophet Isaiah about the light of God that was sent
to overcome the darkness of sin and death.
I invite you to take out your Bibles or follow along on the screen
as we hear from Isaiah 60:1-6
Scripture-Isaiah 60:1-6
Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For darkness
shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his
glory will appear over you. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your
dawn. Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons
shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms. Then you
shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall
be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover
you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring
gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.
Prayer
Almighty God, You sent your only Son, our Savior, Jesus,
to light up the dark places in our lives.
May his holy light of hope and healing shine in our hearts this day and every day.
May we shine forth your glory for all who need that light. Amen.
Message
Although many people have already taken down their Christmas decorations and lights,
today is the last official day of the Christmas season for the Christian Church.
In the church year, the celebration of the birth of Christ goes on for two Sundays after Christmas.
January 6 is the official beginning of the season of Epiphany in the church year.
An “epiphany” is when something reveals itself, or shows itself.
For Christian churches in the Western world,
Epiphany remembers the wise men whose bringing of gifts to the Christ child
"revealed" Jesus to the world as Lord and King.
Some people call Epiphany the “Gentile Christmas,”
because one of the main themes of the Epiphany season is that Christ is a light,
not just for a select group of people like the Jews, but for all people, all over the world.
-1-
Arise, Shine
by Beverly Marshall-Goodell
Isaiah 60:1-6
January 4, 2015
Epiphany happens when anyone living in the darkness of sin,
people like you and me as well as those wise men from the east,
come to see the glory of God, as revealed through the person of Jesus Christ.
Just as the sun rises on every nation and on every kind of people,
no matter who they are or what their background is,
just as the sun, every morning, rises on you, so it is with Christ.
His love, his forgiveness, and his salvation rises and shines on the Jews in Bethlehem,
but also on the wise men from the east.
His love and forgiveness rises and shines on every person on this earth,
and every person is invited to believe in this child, to worship him,
and to find their salvation in him.
No matter who you are, you too, can go from darkness to light.
We were created to live in the light.
If you feel guilt in your life, guilt from committing sin after sin,
guilt from trying to make things right with God,
even though you know you can never do enough,
then you are someone who is trapped in darkness.
When you understand that your sins are freely forgiven through Jesus’ death on the cross,
you can feel your guilt melt away.
Finally you can see, and feel and know that, because of Christ,
everything is made right between you and God.
You have gone from darkness to light.
That is Epiphany – when someone trapped in the darkness of sin
sees and believes in the glory of Jesus Christ.
When someone finally stops trusting in himself for salvation, and starts trusting in Christ.
God is speaking to the darkness of our souls and saying, “Let there be Light.”
Christ is that Light.
Christ is the Light who has defeated the darkness by dying in the darkness.
Christ is the Light who has filled the grave with His life.
Christ is the Light who absorbs the darkness into Himself, and fills us with His light.
Christ is the one who enlightens us with the gifts of His Spirit.
Once we receive the light of Christ, it is both our duty and privilege
to glorify and praise the Lord in our worship and in our witness.
The good news of Jesus continues to radiate over you and me.
Jesus continues to shine, so that we now can arise and shine.
We no longer wander aimlessly and hopelessly in the dark.
God tells us we can arise and shine as his light reflectors.
The darkened world can see that there is something different about us.
We didn’t follow a star to church this morning.
We are here because someone else spoke the Word of God to us and pointed us to Christ.
We are here because a friend or a parent, or a co-worker, or a neighbor
spoke a Word of Christ to us saying: “Arise, shine, for your light has come.”
Now it is our mission to share that same message with others.
There are many ways that we carry out that mission:
-2-
Arise, Shine
by Beverly Marshall-Goodell
Isaiah 60:1-6
January 4, 2015
through personal witness, by sending a spiritual card, or by sharing a Bible verse.
There are many different ways of letting our lights shine.
Jesus doesn’t prescribe one specific way; He just urges us to get out and do it!
I read a story about an eccentric old man who carried an oil can with him everywhere he went.
If he passed through a squeaky door or a stiff gate, he applied oil to the hinges.
His practice of lubricating life’s noisy and tight spots
made life easier for those who followed after him.
Nearly every day we encounter people whose lives grate and grind harshly with problems.
In such situations we face two choices:
We can choose to aggravate their problems with a spirit of criticism or
we can choose to lubricate their lives in the Spirit of Christ.
Some people we meet carry unbearable burdens and long for the oil of a sympathetic word.
Others are defeated and feel like giving up,
when just one drop of encouragement could restore their hope.
Still others are mean and sin-hardened.
Such people can be drawn to the saving grace of Christ
through regular applications of the oil of kindness.
When we receive Christ as our Savior and Lord,
the Holy Spirit indwells us and equips us to bless others.
If we’re prepared to pour out God’s oil of helpfulness every day and everywhere,
beginning at home, we’ll minister Christ’s beauty and the oil of joy to many hurting people
and shine the light of truth that shows the way to life eternal.
Shine His light.
Lend a listening ear.
Pause to pray specifically.
Speak a word of encouragement.
The human spirit can gain new hope from an encouraging word.
Share the Good News of Jesus Christ in the power of His Spirit.
We are the world’s only hope.
The world is in spiritual darkness but upon us, the people of God, the Lord rises and shines.
The world and its peoples are covered in a thick haze of ignorance and sin, and
the dawning of light on the people of God makes the darkness of the rest of the world
that much more apparent.
Jesus is light enough to dispel the deepest darkness of any sin,
Jesus is light enough to destroy even the darkness of death.
It is the awesome responsibility and joy of believers everywhere
to shine the light of Jesus in all the dark places we encounter.
Arise and shine, for your light has come!
Prayer
Glorious God, may the light and hope you have placed in our hearts
guide us to love and serve all who are still in darkness.
May we pursue the right without self-righteousness.
May we know unity without conformity.
-3-
Arise, Shine
by Beverly Marshall-Goodell
Isaiah 60:1-6
January 4, 2015
May we grow in strength without pride in self.
Let the light of Your gospel shine in and through us, now and forever. Amen.
Benediction
Just as the prophet Isaiah instructed his people to arise and shine with God’s love for all,
so now Christ calls each one of us to arise and shine for the world
in his power of forgiveness and new life. Amen.
-4-