Upon Them a Light Has Shined

There's a special irony in what I'm about to write in that it's about seeing and being made to see, and I am squinting and blinking through tears that have accumulated over the past several minutes. Isaiah 9:2 declares:

The people who walked in darkness
Have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them a light has shined. 

God promised hope for His people during a dark time --a dark time, I might add, of their own doing. The people of Israel had a history (as do the people of history in general) of crying out to God when they found themselves in a jam and abandoning Him once things began to run smoothly. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Nevertheless, God promised a greater deliverance through a greater Deliverer. Their lives in this valley of the shadow of death would be ransomed by a Messiah so they might live in a new way, an eternal way, and their hearts would be turned toward Him by His Holy Spirit. This is where Advent comes in: celebrating the arrival of the promised Savior. 

In reading about ways to commemorate this season meaningfully, the central theme seems to be "Imitate Christ." Imagine that! Something we are supposed to be doing all year long, all life long, we do at Christmas to mark His Incarnation. This is where the tears come in: How well do I do that?

The crux of the Gospel of Jesus is, in Jesus' words: 'And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ ... ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Mark 12:30-31) Loving God is bound to loving others. The two cannot be separated. How deeply, actively, compassionately, selflessly do I love? How deeply, do I love people whose stories seem to have no bearing on mine at all? How actively do I love people who disagree with me? How compassionately do I love people I see as freeloaders or scammers? How selflessly do I love those who in all likelihood will not or cannot love me in return? Do I weep and pray for those who have been victimized --or believe they have been victimized (There's a tough one!) --by the government or their employer or a landlord or the church? Do I seek justice by laboriously, publicly, legally advocating for those treated unfairly? Do I come alongside the poor, the desperate, the ill, the lost and encourage them, help them find resources? Do I try to understand the stories and opinions of those who think differently than I? The alternative is to stand on the truth of God's Law and tell others they can climb on with me or they can struggle, but "I'll just be over here living my best life regardless." That's not how Scripture says Jesus loved others and I know that's not how He loves me. Man! The times He's taken me around the block! That is His grace. He has loved me in such a way as to do exactly what He promised His people: cleanse me, change my heart, give me His Spirit so that I might keep His Law (Ezekiel 36:25-27). That is the Gospel the world needs to hear and see!

Isaiah 60:1-7 says God's glory will be seen in His people, that the world will be drawn to Him through the way His people live, the glory with which He makes them glorious! But in the valley of the shadow of death, the world cannot see unless the light our Light has sent dwells there. This Advent, He has sent us to dwell in this valley and shine. Deeply, actively, compassionately, and selflessly (Matthew 25:31-46).