“Oh come thou day-spring come and cheer our spirits by thine advent here
Disperse the clouds of night and death's dark shadows put to flight.”
Dayspring is another word for dawn. In our Advent waiting, we invite Jesus to come as we invite the dawn to burst in and send the darkness scurrying. This is especially meaningful in the dark of December when the nighttime darkness outlasts the daytime light daily. What does it mean for us to open our hearts to the dawn and find Christ’s comfort and cheer even in our darkest places?
Monday
Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord;
his appearing is as sure as the dawn;
he will come to us like the showers,
like the spring rains that water the earth.”
Many of us have experienced a time when we feel alone in the middle of the night and strain to see the dawn come. The first light brings hope for a new day. As we invite Jesus to come as our dawn, he meets us in the loneliness and desolation of our lives and fills us with the light of his presence.
What are you straining to see in the dawn of Christ’s coming?
Are there places of darkness that you desire Him to fill?
How are you cultivating the soil of your heart to see Him?
Gracious God, Light of the World, we feel darkness all around, within us and around us. We strain for the light of your coming. Open our hearts to receive your light in all the places of our lives and relationships. May your promise that light will overcome darkness come to fruition in us this Advent. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Tuesday
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light around me become night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
As we live between the now and the not yet, when Christ’s promises are all fulfilled, there are times when we find ourselves surrounded by darkness and unable to find a way out. In those moments, God finds us and sits with us, not rushing the process of grief that accompanies darkness, but bringing his comforting and transformative presence into those spaces.
Are there things that have happened to you that you need to grieve?
How easy is it for you to imagine God sitting next to you, being patiently present and not anxious for you to rush out of it?
Is there someone you need to share your grief with? What would it look like to reach out to them?
Gracious God, Light of the World, we feel darkness all around, within us and around us. We strain for the light of your coming. Open our hearts to receive your light in all the places of our lives and relationships. May your promise that light will overcome darkness come to fruition in us this Advent. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Wednesday
Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you.
Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
There are many references to light in the Old Testament, suggesting that the desire for light is inherent in all of us. Regardless of our place on the journey of faith, we are inviting to continue to turn our face toward the light of Christ and let him illumine our hearts that we might live transparently in the world as light-bearers of the Dawn.
How are you practicing turning toward the light in your walk with God?
Where are you experiencing darkness, in and/or around you?
How can you be a light-bearer of Christ in a way that draws people to Him?
Gracious God, Light of the World, we feel darkness all around, within us and around us. We strain for the light of your coming. Open our hearts to receive your light in all the places of our lives and relationships. May your promise that light will overcome darkness come to fruition in us this Advent. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Thursday
in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
John starts his gospel by declaring that Jesus is the light that was promised of old. It is good news that just as a light banishes the darkness of a room when it is turn on, so Jesus’ light entered a dark world and the darkness had to flee. This light, again we are reminded, is placed in each of us, animating our lives in ways that carry light into dark places.
Is there a place in your house where you are most thankful for light? Why?
Where are you invited to bring the light that cannot be overcome by darkness?
Where do you see the light of Christ overcoming darkness right now?
Gracious God, Light of the World, we feel darkness all around, within us and around us. We strain for the light of your coming. Open our hearts to receive your light in all the places of our lives and relationships. May your promise that light will overcome darkness come to fruition in us this Advent. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Friday
The sun shall no longer be your light by day,
nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you by night;
but the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.
Your sun shall no more go down, or your moon withdraw itself;
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your days of mourning shall be ended.
In these verses are the invitation to find our light within us, where God dwells. It is easy, sometimes to depend on the light of those around us – leaders, friends, news sources, family – to guide and comfort us and reassure us of God’s glory and work in the world. But in this passage we are invited to receive Christ as our everlasting light, the One who brings guidance, comfort and healing.
Are there ways that you might be relying on others’ light to bring you guidance and comfort?
How does that distract you from listening to God and receiving his light?
What does carrying the light of Christ within mean to you?
Gracious God, Light of the World, we feel darkness all around, within us and around us. We strain for the light of your coming. Open our hearts to receive your light in all the places of our lives and relationships. May your promise that light will overcome darkness come to fruition in us this Advent. In Jesus’ name, Amen.