By Doug McClintic

The term “great light” here in Isaiah seems strange to twenty-first century ears. We are used to an analytical and artificial understanding of light. We talk about the nature of light waves and particles. We bathe in artificial light that streams from tablets, phones, LEDs, and millions of bulbs. In Isaiah’s world, without much in the way of artificial light, the imagery jumps off the page. The people have seen a great light! When is a light a great light?

The light is great when it is contrasted with deep darkness and shadow. The Hebrew word for “the shadow of death,” צלמות (tsalmâveth), speaks of a curtain of gloom, deception, and decay that has been drawn across the minds of a people in exile, a people under occupation, a people numb to the lies of a culture of death and violence. A culture in which the religious professionals of the day were locked, as many are today, in compromise and “peacemaking” with the idols and idolatries of the times. Treaties were signed with the false seal of tolerance and expediency. In such dark times the light is warmer, the light is more welcome, and the light is more winsome as it shines upon us with the power of the Spirit and with the certainty of revelation. A weary people embraces the light even while the elite shrink from the light’s moral clarity.

The light is great when it is embodied in the person of Jesus Christ. “I am the light of the world,” Jesus says in John 9. Without him all is darkness, but with him “all is calm, all is bright.” This great light was cast in all its brilliance across a cattle stall in Bethlehem, and across the shores of Galilee, and across the hill of Golgotha, and the across the stage of human history—forever altered by the Living One, who was dead and now is alive forever (Revelation 1:18).

The light is great when it shows the way beyond even the advent of Jesus and his light-giving presence in the region of Galilee. The prophet points to a day beyond our wildest dreams, our deepest aspirations, and our most fervent hopes. This is a day of victory, a day of justice, a day of abundant harvest, a day of liberation from the yoke of oppression and persecution. This is the dawn of the final age when the light bursts forth, never to be extinguished! The King and the Lamb become the center and source of light in such a perfect and powerful way that even the faithful sun is no longer needed to light the way!

O Christian, join me in longing for, in laboring for, and in leading toward that glorious day when in his light we shall see light. Let us adopt the attitude of John the Baptizer who did not confuse himself with the light but who witnessed to the light! Let us reflect this flesh-embodied light in all that we say, think, and dream; own, buy, and sell; write, pray, and think; treasure, give, and keep.

Prayer: Father of Lights, multiply your light in us and through us for the sake of a world walking in deep darkness. Grant that we may be shining witnesses to the true Light who is coming into the world. Amen.

Doug McClintic supports church planting in the Synod of the Great Lakes as Church Multiplication catalyst of Luminex Collaborative. The 2016 Advent devotions were written by RCA church planters and parent churches.

By Dustin Neeley

In this short passage, the apostle Paul lays before us a significant gospel feast.

He sets the table by telling us that the coming of Jesus now offers salvation for all people. What wonderful news for sinners like us! Next, he reminds us that gospel grace trains us to walk away from sin and into holiness and communion with God, on mission for his glory. What wonderful and compelling truths! Solid food for those who want to keep growing.

But then Paul invites us into the season of Advent in which we now live—a season of waiting between the first and second coming of Christ. Like a pause between dinner courses, it is a season between fullness and joy through his Spirit on the one hand, and the emptiness and sorrow of living in a fallen world on the other.

Each time we hear good news, we can look forward to the day when we will experience the ultimate good news—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Similarly, when we hear tragic news, we long for this day as well, and pray for and work to bring the kingdom until it comes in full.

In a sense, we experience Advent not only in December, but each day of the year. May God fuel us to live for his glory today as we await his glorious return.

Prayer: Sometimes we are so focused on what we dream of, long for, and even groan for, that we forget what you have already done in the birth of Jesus. Sustain us with joy in your salvation and remind us of your new mercy every morning as we wait for all things to be made new.

Dustin Neeley is pastor of Refuge Church in Franklin, Tennessee. The 2016 Advent devotions were written by RCA church planters and parent churches.

By Randy Weener

Our minds get mired in the messes of political gridlock, fractured families, and crowded calendars. Our hearts ache over the leading articles in our newsfeed announcing the carnage of yet another earthquake, flood, refugee trauma, or terrorist strike. Piercing through that hovering cloud of despair come these welcome words: “The Lord reigns.”

Creation is the first to receive this good news in the opening verses of Psalm 97. Hope resides in a righteous and just ruler who will prevail. Before him the mountains will melt, the heavens will herald and the peoples will behold his glory. The result: “Let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice” (v. 1, NIV).

But there is good news for God’s people as well. In the final five verses the psalmist turns his attention to lifting our spirits. The Most High Lord is above all—all the earth, all other gods, all circumstances that raise our blood pressure and steal our sleep. He is ruler, sovereign, in charge, aware, and on his throne, and he is the victor. Therefore, “rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name” (v. 12, NIV).

But how can it sound so good when it looks so bad? Don’t be deceived. God’s supremacy might surprise you. It surprised Jesus’ disciples. Who recognized his reign as it was inaugurated in a cattle stall, in the person of a defenseless infant, birthed and tended by a peasant girl carrying a passport from a forgettable village? Even 30-plus years later they hadn’t figured it out as he was paraded into Jerusalem for his coronation, only to be executed as a criminal. The Lord reigns. But don’t just look for the obvious. Listen to the transformational testimony of a new Jesus-follower, be awed by the restorative power of once-charred turf, and celebrate unlikely companions locking arms to right an injustice.

The Lord still reigns!

Prayer: Lord, lift our eyes from what is discouragingly obvious to recognize that you reign, even today. Gift us with the privilege to encourage someone else today with that good news.

Randy Weener is classis leader for Great Lakes City Classis and Church Multiplication catalyst for the RCA. The 2016 Advent devotions were written by RCA church planters and parent churches.

By Ricardo Velázquez

During World War I, accounts say a spontaneous truce happened in the trenches between German and British troops when soldiers from each side took turns singing Christmas carols. When the British began to sing “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” the German troops joined them in a chorus heard through the night on that “peaceful” battlefield. It is such power that makes the songs of Christmas so great, and we enjoy them because they are among the most recognizable songs in the world—songs that tell and reflect the spirit of the season. They share with the world the message of peace on earth through the birth of Jesus.

Songs have a powerful way of uniting people through compelling messages and the feelings they evoke. They offer such a unique expression of personal stories and experiences. Knowing this, the psalmist asks us not to just sing songs we know, but to sing a new song too! Though not all of us are gifted with musical talent, our experiences with our Savior need to be expressed and shared with all the earth. The message that tells of his salvation is needed still. All the nations need to hear of his marvelous works among all the peoples. Our songs need to share the value we give our Savior, through our praise, our trust, our offerings, and our worship of him.

This season, let’s enjoy our wonderful, traditional carols, but also actively share and express our newest stories of God to a world that needs joy, peace, and goodwill for more than just a season, with new songs of our daily life in him!

Prayer: God of the ages, sometimes you build on the old, and sometimes you do something totally new. May our songs this season capture the joy of both what you have done and what you are doing!

Ricardo Velázquez supports leadership development for the RCA and works with Hispanic church planters. The 2016 Advent devotions were written by RCA church planters and parent churches.