Arise, shine; For your light has come!

.... And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. Darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Peoples  will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising (Isaiah 60:1-3). These verses are ostensibly spoken to Jerusalem (Zion verse 14).  The New Jerusalem however, is a picture of the bride of Christ, the Church  (Revelation 21:2), and so they apply to the Christians corporately and individually.  Light and darkness speak respectively about good and evil (5:20).  And because of this, these morning  verses speak like todays newspaper whose editors are actually interested in truth. Thick darkness does indeed cover the people, and the church is called to be a light into it.  It is already here,  Jesus, the light of the World,  has already come (John 8:12)! And He  shines His light on us, making us the light of the World too (Matthew 5:14).

So the Lord is speaking to us in these verses this morning,  telling us to arise.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden, and you don't put a lamp under a basket (Matthew 5:14, 15). But what does it mean for us to arise and shine? Well several things.  There are many things that dim the light and the glory in us. Jesus said if “the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness” (Matthew 6:23). It's about sin. The light in us is dimmed if we do not walk in the light as He is in the light. On the other hand,  if we do walk in the light we have true fellowship with each other and with the Father (1 John 1:7). And this fellowship is,  in and of itself,  light to the World.  And indeed people will come to such light!

Walking in the light is not just about getting rid of the sin in our lives. It is about radical living for Him, presenting our bodies as living sacrifices.  It is about obedience, continuing in His Word. It is worshipping in Spirit and in truth,   about passionate worship of the One who loved us,  and gave Himself for us. It is about humbling ourself, praying, seeking His face, turning from our wicked ways and in this way being able to claim His promises. In particular is about fulfilling our part in His promise to heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14).  It is about letting the light shine though the good works He calls us to,  so that the World will  glorify our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

Father, I sense through this morning's verses,  that You are calling  the church as a whole,  and each one of us individually,  to wake up, to rise and to let our light shine. Quicken us this morning Lord by Your Holy Spirit to do this. We cannot do it without You. Help us Lord not to be intimidated by the darkness, but to realize that You have already won the victory,  and all we need to do is to live for You and to wait for it. Even so come Lord Jesus,  in Your precious Name Amen