You’re Worth Loving
This year St. Peter’s UCC in Grant Park is providing the book A Love Worth Giving to You at Christmas by Max Lucado for our members to distribute to their families, friends, and neighbors as a small gift. Each book includes an invitation to worship with our church family on Christmas Eve.
Throughout Advent we are reminding everyone that they are worth loving! Lucado writes, “(Jesus) went from commanding angels to sleeping in straw. From holding stars to clutching Mary’s finger. The palm that held the universe took the nail of a soldier. Why? Because that’s what love does.”
Each day, during Advent, join us for a journey to see just how much God’s love for you is evidenced in the story of Christmas.
The Light Shines Forth
The prophet Isaiah wrote, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shown.” (Isaiah 9:2).
Have you ever tried to navigate your familiar home in the middle of the night without a flash light or other source of light to guide you? You may quickly discover that someone moved a piece of furniture of forgot to pick up a LEGO piece. The pain is excruciating. Why does it hurt so badly? I propose it is because you weren’t expecting it.
We all know there are levels of pain and that sometimes, being able to prepare for it helps lessen the amount in which we experience, but pain in the middle of the darkness of life hurts on a greater scale.
When we are journeying this life without Jesus we are walking in darkness. When we are trying to live life on our own instead of placing all our faith and hope in Him the darkness doesn’t fully expose the sin and pain of life that is just waiting for us to stub our toe on.
Isaiah wrote to a people who were living in darkness. They neither believed in God or sought after Him. However, there was good news for them, just as there is for those of us today.
The GOOD NEWS is that even when we find ourselves trying to journey through life without Jesus, His LIGHT and LOVE provides a vision of hope. The Light of the World (Jesus) shines in the darkness so that the pain of this world doesn’t hurt as bad.
When we hear of all the bad news such as world disasters, wars, illness, disease, or death, we are able to see the hope at the end of the tunnel. The Light of Jesus reminds us of the glorious reality of salvation in Christ.
By our sinful nature we are all walking in darkness. This is our natural, human condition. Some don’t even realize they are living in darkness. They don’t realize life is more than just instant pleasure and then death. The light shining on the people of Isaiah’s world was the shining of the Word of God. The WORD bring deliverance and salvation. Through it, we are given liberty, comfort and salvation as we repent and return to the Lord.
The light got brighter as Jesus entered the world (John 1:9). As we grow closer to God, through obedience and trust in Him, the light shines in our heart. It carries us through this dark world.
Christ is calling all of us closer to Him. When you surrender your heart and life to Him you received something wonderful. The apostle Paul says, “God has delivered us from the power of darkness which is death, and has given us to Kingdom of His Son, Jesus Christ.” (Colossians 1:13).
THIS is a LOVE worth giving to YOU!
Prayer: In the darkness of the world around us, shine forth Your Light, Heavenly Father. May Your Son, Jesus Christ illuminate in us and through us in order that we may experience true hope and joy in this world in which we live, and so that others may experience this love as well. Thank you for loving us so much. Amen.
Devotional
Devotional