The people who walked in darkness
Isaiah 9:2
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.
After the words of Malachi at the end of the Old Testament, there was silence. No more prophecies, just waiting for the promised Messiah. And so, for four hundred years, the people walked in a kind of spiritual darkness and then, at just the right time, God sent His son.
The song “O Holy Night!” captures the essence of the celebration of Christ’s birth –
O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;
it is the night of the dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!
O night divine! O night when Christ was born!
O night divine! O night, O night divine!
The promised Messiah was born into a world that was desperate and in darkness. That Holy Night wasn’t what most would have expected. The angels made their proclamation, but only to a few shepherds. Jesus’ life on earth began quite humbly, born in a stable, yet he would break the chains of sin and death.
In 2025, most of the world around us is still weary. There is plenty of brokenness. Yet, the hope of Christmas is available every day. He brings freedom from our sin, light from our darkness and like in the song above, we are called to rejoice, not in our weariness, but in the hope of Christ!