Light is Shining

As it just so happens, we are talking about light shining in the darkness this Sunday, with what is a pretty familiar passage from Isaiah. It is often read on Christmas Eve, but the Narrative Lectionary forces us to look at it outside of the context of Christmas, by placing it before Advent starts. Applying this prophecy to the birth of Jesus is not a bad or wrong application at all, it’s just not the only application, and there is so much more to it than that. Last week we had some of the harshest words from a prophet in Amos, but this week we get a much gentler and hopeful word from Isaiah. -Pastor Paul