Day 6

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. Isaiah 9:2

Light in the Darkness

There are plenty of people in our country who feel they are walking in darkness, wondering how they will cope with the difficulties of the coming winter.  And not so far away, Ukrainians, confronting continuing attacks by Russia, are literally in darkness as a result of power cuts!  The prophet Isaiah also lived in a dark time, a time of uncertainty and conflict, in a land threatened with invasion by the ruthless Assyrian Empire.  These words are addressed to people in Galilee, the place most threatened by that invasion, in the northern part of Israel, where the darkness must have seemed oppressive.  Yet Galilee is the place where Jesus will begin his ministry of healing and teaching, where his light will first be fully revealed in his life and words, and from where the light of his message would spread.  And his light can still shine today (a lot brighter than all our Christmas decorations) on those people to whom the world seems very dark.  But it’s up to us who have experienced his light ourselves to spread it to them!

Alister