...the brightness of His rising

 

Arise, shine, for your light has come,

and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,

and thick darkness the peoples;

but the Lord will arise upon you,

and his glory will be seen upon you.

And nations shall come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your rising.

Isaiah 60:1-3

Jesus certainly was an unexpected way in which these promises to Israel would be made known. He is the light of Israel and of the world. He is the glory of the LORD, revealed in humanity for all of us to know, worship, and love. God did "rise upon" Israel and the world, with the dawn of redeeming grace in Bethlehem so very long ago.

Jesus came to earth and His life has been a light to the world ever since. The beauty of God's love, sending His only Son, to die for sin and be raised to life, is known because that light that still shines in this dark world. God's light will be seen in the gospel. Jesus calls the world to know Him, to believe that the light is here, and to know the stunning brilliance of God's glory through forgiveness of sins, new life in Christ, and the worship of the Lord.

Dawn on every day since the birth of Jesus has been filled with a new light. It is radiant with the hope of the gospel and the love of God in Christ. And in the light of Jesus, all is as it should be, for He is coming again to rule this world in truth and grace... to make the nations prove the glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love!