Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined.”
NL Daily Devotion for Saturday, November 23, 2019
by R. Fergus Moir, Clergy Stuff
I’ve lived through a few blackouts in my time. When there’s a total loss of power, it’s not just the kind of dark when you turn your lights off at night. We’re talking complete blackness. In those initial claustrophobic moments when I’m fumbling around for a candle, I suddenly appreciate the privilege that allows me electricity the vast majority of the time. Then I get the lighter working and the wick ignites and that tiny, flickering flame becomes a beacon of hope. A comfort in the moment and a reassurance that in time, the power will be restored and all will be well.
We, like the ancient Israelites, experience blackouts in lots of ways, big and small. For them, it was imminent invasion. For us it might be family crisis, environmental disaster, oppressive government, or even in some parts of the world, imminent invasion. In those times, all is dark. Isaiah promised the Israelites, and us, that there is hope. God’s light is coming into the world—is, in fact, already present. And while it may seem to be just a flickering candle, it heralds the coming of the “great light” that is Jesus.
Gracious God, give me hope in the light that is Jesus when everything seems dark. Amen.
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