Arise, shine, for your Light has come!



What a gorgeous day this has been!  After Sunday and Monday being gloomy, this morning was a breath of fresh air.  The light came streaming in my window this morning, making it easy to get up and meet the new day.  In my errand run, I couldn’t help it. I drove out to Point Mugu to watch the ocean for a few minutes.



Did you know we are officially in the middle of Bright Week?  The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates Bright Week for a full week after Easter, ending with Orthodox Easter the following Sunday, and the whole week is treated as a single day.



Imagine the Light from the Risen Christ presiding over everything we do for a whole week.  That sounds like a real celebration to me!

We usually read this verse from Isaiah 60 at Christmas time, but when I read it in the context of Easter, the prophecy fairly jumped off the page!
Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. (Isaiah 60:1) 
The glory of the Lord IS RISEN upon us!  Think about that for a minute.  The Son was glorified at the Resurrection, but Isaiah includes us in that!  Christ’s Glory in rising from the dead has risen on us!  Now that’s exciting!



David tells us that God is Light.  He said:
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid? (Ps 27:1)

David knew we needed God’s Light to see clearly:
7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
8 They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
9 For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light. (Ps 36:7-9)

John echoes David’s declaration in John 1:9 :  That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.



No one is beyond His reach.  When Jesus came into the world, His Light was on every person.  And when He left the world, He died for the world.  Do you remember when His Light shone on you for the first time— those penetrating rays of light that awakened you to His presence and His love for you?  How old were you?  What details do you remember?  

Now imagine what it would be like to have that happen to everybody you know.  Think what a ‘light’ place this would be!

Jesus declares Himself to be the Light of the World (John 8:12), and then calls us the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).  Paul tells us to do all things well to inspire those around us because we “shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:14,15).   Like Father, like children.  We not only reflect His light, but because we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, we actually generate His light from within us.



In this Bright Season following the Resurrection, let’s not cover the Light with a bushel basket or let Satan snuff it out.  

Arise! Shine!  Your Light has come!


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