“Arise and Shine



Isaiah 60:1-6 (Page 657, NKJV) "Rise and Shine!" + + Epiphany 1 / January 8, 2012 + + Summerlin Ev. Lutheran Church, Las Vegas, NV

"Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see: They all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side. Then you shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you. The multitude of camels shall cover your land, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and incense, and they shall proclaim the praises of the LORD." [Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. Amen.] In our Epiphany Lord’s name, fellow saints who are lights poking holes in this dark world, Rise and shine! Now that’s a wake-up call if there ever was one. Whether it be at a boot camp or at a kids’ camp, those words ring out loudly and clearly. They proclaim that night is over, and a new day is at hand. It’s time to move from inactivity to activity, from sleep to action, from rest to work.

Throughout the Scriptures the tension between these two opposites—night and day, darkness and light—is always there. In the beginning, in that moment before God spoke the creative word, the world was still formless, and deep darkness covered the surface of the earth. Into that deep darkness, where no life was present or possible, God sent the gift of His light, and by His creative command, life began. God has been sending His life-giving light into the darkness ever since. It is the brilliant splendor of light that God’s plan will reach its climax. In the final chapter of the Bible, we are shown a vision of heaven itself, where “There shall be no night there: The need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light,: (Revelation 22:5).

That’s the way it will be, but that’s not the way it is now. Darkness is still with us, and it’s all over the world. But the voice of God is heard calling to those living in darkness. He calls us not only to see the Light but also to be the light—to hear His wake-up call and to receive His power, to rise and shine for His light has come.

“For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,” (Isaiah 60:2). Isaiah says it and so it was. Isaiah lived in some pretty dark days. The faithlessness and immorality of the people had plummeted to new lows. God had been pushed to the perimeter of their lives. They had forsaken God and for a time it looked like God had forsaken them as well.

Of course, now we live in the age of enlightenment! Or, so people say. I suppose that would be true if we measured enlightenment in terms of technological advancement. They say that the body of human knowledge is now doubling every decade. The computer at your house, you know, the one that you’re planning to upgrade soon, is many times more powerful than those used to guide astronauts to the moon. It’s a wonderful world of DVDs, FAX machines and cell phones; of miracle drugs, laser surgery, and brilliant diagnostic devices that see into the deepest corners of our bodies.

But there’s another reality, however, the darkness in this world is stubborn stuff. While we may be able to push it back to the edges of life for awhile, it’s always there, lurking, waiting to move back in and overpower the light. Billions of people still don’t have enough to eat. Crime stalks city and hamlet alike. Drug abuse robs people of their wits and will. Health care costs so much that many are excluded from it benefits. What abortion does to the unborn every day makes what Herod did to the children of Bethlehem look like a church picnic.

On a more personal level, many people are living what one author calls “lives of quiet desperation.” They want some kind of light and hope, but they don’t have it and can’t seem to find it. They want to believe that they have purpose, that they are good enough for God, but though they won’t admit it they’re conscience screams at them that they’re not good enough. Isaiah said it, “…darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people,” (Isaiah 60:2).

In the middle of this darkness, a search is going on. People are looking for the light that will give them real security, guidance and hope. If someone claims to have seen that light, boy do people come a runnin’. We like light. We like security lights, night lights, flashlights, moonlight, starlight, sunlight, and at-the-end-of-the-tunnel light—all kind of light.

And there is light for those living in darkness! Old man Simeon saw it when he held the little baby Jesus in his arms and said to God, “For my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel,” (Luke 2:30-32).

That light is the Lord, Jesus Christ, who says, “I am the light of the world,” (John 8:12). The Scriptures use this metaphor for Jesus all over the place. Here’s just one of the good examples in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians chapter 4, verse 6: “For it is God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Of course, what is brought to light is not always pleasant to see, like when we get up in the morning, turn on the light, and look in the mirror. Jesus gives us the light we need to see ourselves as God sees us—fallen and flawed creatures, wholly undeserving of love, and unsuitable for heaven. But the light of Jesus also has good news, that we who are flawed and fallen are also the favored and the forgiven.

And living in His light not only reveals things to us about ourselves and about our heavenly Father, it also enables us to answer god’s wake-up call, “Arise and shine!” The spotlight is not only on Jesus but also on us as His people. The utterly amazing thing is that not only does Jesus call Himself the Light of the world, but He also calls us His followers the light of the world. He says, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven,” (Matthew 5:14-16).

In the 1960s, Egypt built the Aswan Dam on the Nile River. The structure included a 12 turbine hydroelectric plant which produced over 12 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. At the dedication ceremony in 1971 President Abdel Nasser pushed a button that started it up. But the power which lit homes all over Egypt that night was not found in the finger of President Nasser. It was found rather in the 200 billion cubic yards of water stored behind the dam.

What is the source of our power to shine? It is not something which we generate ourselves. The power to be a light in the world is not ours naturally; it becomes our supernaturally. One of our hymns describes the source pretty well, I think you’ll agree. Holy Spirit, Light divine, shine upon this heart of mine; chase the gloom of night away, turn the darkness into day.” [CW #183:1]

Have you ever seen one of those kids’ toys that glows in the dark? Before it can shine it has to be held up to a light. It has to store the power of that absorbed light. Then for awhile it will shine in the dark, until it runs out of the light which it has borrowed. Then once again it has to be held up to light for recharging.

It is so with us. Our light is borrowed—absorbed—from the Source, from the Light which has come: Jesus Christ, the Light of the world. Through the means by which He empowers us—His Word and Sacraments—we receive power to answer the wake-up call, to be what He calls us to be—light in the world. This is not an empty promise. The Scriptures say, But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right (power) to become children of God,” (John 1:12).

So, children of God, hear it again! “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven,” (Matthew 5:16). In this world of darkness, that is our assignment, not to curse the darkness but to light a candle, to poke holes in the darkness. We don’t have to look far to find the dark corners around us that need to see the light of God’s love shining into them. There’s a mission hymn that calls upon us to see the world with eyes of Isaiah and especially the eyes of Jesus: “The vision of a dying world is vast before our eyes. We feel the heartbeat of its need, we hear its feeble cries. Lord Jesus Christ, revive Your church in this her crucial hour, Lord Jesus Christ, renew Your church with Spirit-given power.” Don’t look too hard or you might miss it, or too far, or you might look past it; it’s the lonely widow still in grief, the distraught parents who have lost a child, or watched a prodigal son or daughter wander off, the person with no place to call home, the helpless, the despairing, those dying without hope.

“You are the light of the world,” Jesus tells us. It’s being ready to give an answer for your hope in Christ. Share your faith with real live people-people who may be on the road to death and don’t know it. Be an example. Do your best to mend an argument. Forgive an enemy. Be patient with an angry person. Express your appreciation to someone for kindness rendered. Speak kindly to a stranger. Apologize when you’re wrong. Give a soft answer even though you many feel strongly. Live purely in an impure world. Let your speech reflect your faith. Let your face reflect your joy. Let your light shine. We have seen the Light and in the power of God we can be the light. Amen!

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