Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 2:4-12You are a chosen people . . . that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.— 1 Peter 2:9As a pastor and teacher, I have met with many people who have wondered, “What is God’s will for my life?” Many of us deeply des
Scripture Reading — John 12:35-36“Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.”— John 12:36By this point in John’s gospel, Jesus has declared a couple of times that he is the light of the world. This image is intended to draw us into the creation story, as
Scripture Reading — John 9:1-7“As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me.”— John 9:4As we draw closer to the celebration of Jesus’ birth, it’s important to remember why Jesus came. Several times in the book of John, Jesus talks about doing the will of God, who sent him. In today’
Scripture Reading — 2 Corinthians 4:1-6God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts. . . .— 2 Corinthians 4:6Today’s Bible passage calls us back to the creation story, reminding us that the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” is the same God who i
Scripture Reading — John 8:12-20“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”— John 8:12The text in our reading for today is centrally focused on Jesus’ identity. He declares, “I am the light of the world . . .” leaning into God’s cov
Scripture Reading — Matthew 4:12-17From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”— Matthew 4:17Our Scripture reading today includes a quote from Isaiah that we considered earlier: God’s light will dawn on the people who live in darkness, ushering them int
Scripture Reading — Luke 1:67-80“You, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High . . . because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven.”— Luke 1:76-78In the first chapter of Luke many important things can attract our attention: Gabriel’s visits to
Scripture Reading — Isaiah 60:1-7Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.— Isaiah 60:3Often we tend to fear what we do not understand—especially when we encounter people who are different from us. The same was true in ancient Israel. Isaiah proclaimed that God’s cho
Scripture Reading — Isaiah 42:1-9“I, the Lord, have called you . . . to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.”— Isaiah 42:6-7Sometimes we use the term “blinding light” to say that a light is so bright that if you look direct
Scripture Reading — Isaiah 9:1-7The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.— Isaiah 9:2God provides an immediate follow-up to the passage we reflected on yesterday, about choosing to live in “utter darkness.” Because of God
Scripture Reading — Isaiah 8:19-22If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.— Isaiah 8:20God’s people did not always walk in God’s way. At times, the leaders of God’s people even consulted with mediums (1 Samuel 28:3-25). Here Isaiah notes the consequences of trying
Scripture Reading — Psalm 119:105-112Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.— Psalm 119:105The psalmist describes God’s word as a lamp and a light. There is a sense of movement here with the emphasis of the psalmist’s feet on a path. We don’t know where the psalmist is going, but it’s n
