Radiant Dawn

21 Dec

O Radiant Dawn,
splendor of eternal light, sun of justice:
come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the
shadow of death.

I am a person of the light.  I do not just mean that figuratively, I mean that quite literally.  I would be many other people who have moved to some place like Alaska only to move back after a year because I would not be able to take the six months of relative darkness in which they live each year.

I am a “gloomy Gus”.  When the winter has too many dark days in a row, I can feel myself becoming more morose, more despondent.  I cannot wait for a lighter day to return.  When it does, I perk up immediately.  Some of my friends have told me I should get one of those “daylight lamps”.  Some day, I might do that.

We were not made for the dark.  Dark carries with it an image of danger, fright, and uncertainty.  Light has the image of warmth, security, and comfort.

Our souls are drawn to the light as well.  To be more specific, our souls are drawn to the light of Christ.  That was why Isaiah prophesied, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone”.  (Is 9:1)  The people who lived in the darkness of sin had longed for the coming of the Morning Star, the Dayspring, the Radiant Dawn.

The Light of Christ, the promised Messiah, dispels the darkness of sin and penetrates that former permanent darkness of death.  Even as the end of our days draws near, we tell people to “look for the light” and confidently follow that light because we know, inherently, that if we allow the light to lead us, we will never go astray.

FAITH ACTION:  Pray for those who live in the darkness of sin and who may have given up any hope of rescue that they may allow the light of Christ to envelope them.  Reflect upon this verse of our Advent hymn:

O Come, Thou Dayspring from on high,
and cheer us by thy drawing nigh;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night
and death’s dark shadow put to flight.