Great Plains Daily Devotional for 1/6/2022

Isaiah 60:1-6

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.

Lift up your eyes and look around;
    they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
    and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.
Then you shall see and be radiant;
    your heart shall thrill and rejoice,
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
    the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
A multitude of camels shall cover you,
    the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
    all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
    and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.

Christmas has come and gone. Today we celebrate the Epiphany of Our Lord. This day observes the arrival of the Magi in Bethlehem as they found the Christ Child and presented their gifts. Epiphany, then, marks the appearance or manifestation of God in Jesus to the gentiles (represented by the Magi).

The prophet Isaiah foretells a time when God’s light and glory will shine upon all the nations. A time when those who live in darkness will see this light and come to accept and worship the God of Israel. A time when they will come from faraway places, bringing gifts of gold and incense.

For us, the Magi represent the fulfillment of that prophesy. However, it’s not so much the gifts that the Magi brought that strikes me, but the image of the Light spreading across darkness. Jesus came to spread the light of God to the world – to shine that light into all the dark corners and nooks and crannies where evil, fear and doubt flourish. Just as Easter is the celebration of ultimate triumph over those things, Epiphany is the celebration of Jesus’ illumination of those things – of the offer of a way out of the darkness that sometimes seems intent upon engulfing our world.

So, on this day of Epiphany 2022, let us do all that we can to keep the darkness at bay and spread the love and light of God around whatever small piece of our world over which we have any control. Shine the Light of God into the dark corners around you!

Prayer for Reflection

Jeremiah 31:7-14
Psalm 147:12-20
Ephesians 1:3-14
John 1:(1-9), 10-18