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“The Church from You, dear Master, Received the gift divine; And still that light is lifted O’er all the earth to shine. It is the chart and compass That, all life’s voyage through, Mid mists and rocks and quicksands Still guides, O Christ, to You.
“O make Your Church, dear Savior, A lamp of burnished gold To bear before the nations Your true light as of old! O teach Your wand’ring pilgrims By this their path to trace Till, clouds and darkness ended, They see You face to face.”
In the beginning God spoke and by His Word separated the light from the darkness. Through the disobedience of Adam and Eve, sin entered God’s good creation and a different kind of darkness filled the world, the darkness of sin. Again, with the power of His Word, God shattered that darkness. At the right time, Jesus, the Word made flesh, came into this sin-darkened world. God said to His Son, the Messiah, “I will make You as a light for the nations, that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6b). The dark veil of sin that separated people from God was torn down through Jesus’ death on the cross. The Savior overcame the darkness of death to reveal the bright, welcoming light of forgiveness and eternal life that are ours through faith in His Name.
After Jesus ascended into heaven, the apostles proclaimed His death and resurrection. The first Christians were persecuted and many fled from Jerusalem, but they carried the light with them, sharing the good news of Jesus: “Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). The light continued to break through the darkness, and now the task of sharing the good news has fallen to us. Like those first Christians, we are the church, the body of Christ. We are called to be a “lamp of burnished gold” that shines with the light of Jesus.
In repentant honesty, we must admit that we do not always shine as brightly as we should. Sometimes we wander in the darkness too, and fail to reflect the light and love of Jesus. We stumble through the rocks and quicksand of sin. Tracing the light of Jesus through His Word and in the gift of His body and blood in His holy Supper, we receive His forgiveness. As we share the good news and carry the light of Jesus to the nations, the Holy Spirit is at work to enlighten those who hear the Gospel. The Spirit creates faith in their hearts and then they too begin to share the good news with others. The light of Jesus continues to shine in the darkness and, to this day, “the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5b).
WE PRAY: Jesus, help me to shine with the light of Your love so that others will come to know and worship You as Lord. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, “O Word of God Incarnate,” which is number 523 in the Lutheran Service Book.
Reflection Questions:
- Do you think Adam and Eve’s original sin impacted the physical world? How so?
- What is it about sin that brings darkness to mind?
- How does our living like the light of Jesus benefit and bless the world?
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