Kairos Advent Devotional 2010 21st Dec

21 December 2010

John 1 v. 1-9

‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome¹ it.’

For our forebears, this, the dark time of the year, was an anxious period: available working hours were limited, and untold menaces, real and imagined, lurked in the darkness. Today we are grateful for modern electricity artificially lengthening the days, extending our productive time and dispelling some of the terrors of the night. And in this Christmas season, festive lights make the darkness a place of wonder.

Light has two great properties: it dispels darkness, and it enables us to see. Light always overcomes darkness just by being itself. And it is only the presence of light, entering the eye, which gives us sight.

Not only are the winter days dark, but the present times can seem dark too. The Bible describes man’s internal condition as full of darkness; the darkness of fear and sin, emotional, mental and physical pain, and the darkness of alienation from God; a darkness which manifests itself outwardly in our world in a multitude of ways.

Into this darkness Christ came; not as a dim, flickering light, but as a blaze of glory. The Gospels show that in every encounter with Him, the darkness that kept mankind in bondage was pushed back, and people were able to see clearly.

Today let’s meditate on the effects of light on darkness, and ask the Light of the World to come to us afresh. Let’s approach Him with a faith that expects to receive, a humility that acknowledges our need, and ask Him to shine his radiant light on our dark places, and dispel every one. Let’s ask Him to open our eyes to see clearly, and to use us to be people who shine His light in the dark places of the world around us.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, Light of the world,

Come and shine Your light in every dark place in my life, bringing forgiveness, healing, deliverance and clear sight. 

Fill me with Your light and then use me to touch the people I meet.

Thank You that You are answering my prayer even as I speak.

Amen

¹(NIV alternative translation)