Rejoice: Celebrating the Season of Adventনমুনা

Light of the World

Read: Luke 2:28-32; Isaiah 42:1-9; John 1:4-5

SOAP: Luke 2:30-32

“For my eyes have seen your salvation

that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples:

a light,

for revelation to the Gentiles

and for glory to your people Israel.”

Into the Text

Simeon gives us a beautiful and true description of the baby in his arms. He is the light for the Gentiles, as prophesied by Isaiah about 600 years earlier. Simeon knew that with the coming of the Messiah, God’s kingdom was going to be built beyond the people of Israel and expand to every corner of the world. God would call the Gentiles to Himself, those who had previously not belonged to His people.

Two thousand years later, we can only marvel at how these prophetic words of Isaiah and Simeon have been fulfilled. History has proven time and again that Jesus truly is the light of the world. Everywhere the gospel was carried, no matter how great the darkness, the good news of Jesus brought light and new life.

Think about Paul, spreading this light in the Greco-Roman world of the first century. The gospel brought people from idol worship to faith in the living God. Think about the first-century Christians who rescued and cared for unwanted infants left on the towns’ rubbish heaps. The good news of Jesus changes everything.

In more recent times, think of missionaries like John Paton sailing to island tribes in the South Pacific, bringing the light of Jesus and ending the horrible killings and cannibalism. Think of Amy Carmichael traveling to India and rescuing countless little girls from a life of temple prostitution. Think of Mary Slessor going into Nigeria and working among the Okoyong tribes, preaching Jesus. With many coming to faith, this helped to end the widespread practice of killing newborn twins. Think of what is happening in the Muslim world today, with many thousands of people having their eyes opened to the truth of the gospel and leaving the oppressive darkness of Islam.

We sometimes forget what a life-changing power the gospel has proven to be, bringing an end to century-old darkness wherever people have turned to its bright and glorious light. Take some time to pick up a missionary biography and read some of these stories for yourself. Let’s pray for this light to continue to spread to the unreached places in our world.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for causing the bright light of the gospel to shine in my heart. I ask you to send more believers as missionaries to take this light to those who are still in darkness. Here I am. Use me in whatever way you want. Amen.