Advent Day 20

Music:
Be Thou My Vision, Performed by Allswell
Morning Prayer and Life Written and Performed by Simon Wester


As we ended yesterday speaking of the Light of God, we now come to John the Baptist, who came as a witness to testify concerning that light.
In the dark world of idolatry, all illumination is precious.
The ancient Hebrews had the moonlight of the Law and the starry constellations of the Prophets by which they could navigate through the shadows of night on their journey toward truth.
The Gentiles had the flickering candles of nature’s witness and Greek wisdom by which they could pursue the creator. (Acts 17:27)
Moonlight, starlight, and candlelight are faint illuminations in the darkness of night. But as we spoke on yesterday, when the sun rises the darkness is altogether dispelled—the night is done, and the day has dawned.
The prophet Malachi spoke of the coming of Messiah as the sun of righteousness that will rise with healing in its wings. (Malachi 4:2) And John the Evangelist tells us that the light from the life of Jesus Christ is the illumination of true enlightenment.
In the life of Jesus Christ, we receive the dual enlightenment revealing who God is and how to be human.
Like the sun streaming in the window in the morning announcing that it’s a new day, John the Baptist was the herald to announce the coming of the True Light.
John was not the Light, and he was the witness sent to testify to the Light.
John is to Jesus what the Bible is to Jesus. The Bible itself came to bear witness to the Light. The True Light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. The Bible testified to him and cried out, “This is he of whom I said’
John 1:6-13
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

We read in Colossians 2:17 regarding the rules and laws of the old testament that These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
The old testament laws, holidays and festivals all pointed toward Jesus, but they are Shadows of the reality of what is to come.
I love the late summer evening walks with my kids that cast long shadows in front of our meandering walks.
As we look at the shadow of us walking along as the sun begins to set, our shadow becomes more and more pronounced.
But our shadows are just us minus all light, dimension, and definition.
We can see the shape of who we are, but the reality is not found in the shadow, its found in who we are.
This Christmas we wait on the reality of Christ.
The new reality.
Jesus is the light, definition, and dimension of what the old covenant was pointing to.

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