Luke 2:21-52; Ezekiel 38-39; Isaiah 61

“A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.” (Luke 2:32 NKJV)

Jesus had a two-fold mission: He was the Son of David, calling the people of Israel back to the good old days when people’s hearts were in tune with God’s will. (More or less) He was also to be a light of revelation to the Gentiles. He was to bring the message of God’s love and redemption to those who had not been members of the family of faith. This was a revolutionary statement uttered by Simeon, since the general belief of Jews at that time was that God had created Gentiles to fuel the fires of hell. Jesus, as John would describe it later, came not to judge the world, but to redeem the world and bring all people into a relationship with God the Father. 

Our call, as followers of Christ, is to share the light of revelation we’ve received and spread the good news to a world that’s walking in the dark. One of the problems with walking in the dark is that our eyes become accustomed to the lack of light and we make adjustments. The light of Christ is hard to endure when it’s first revealed. Yet little by little, our eyes begin to adjust to the light and we can see what the darkness hid. There are cities that look beautiful at night, as the artificial lights draw your attention and you don’t see the problems around you. Those same city streets are filthy in the daylight. The difference here is that when the light of Christ shines on a person, the light itself begins the process of transforming them into the image of Jesus Christ. God doesn’t see the dirt in our hearts, He sees the glory of Jesus. It’s time to begin the process of leaving the manger, like the shepherds did, and spreading the light of Christ to the people who walk in darkness.

Lord, If the people who walk in great darkness are to see a great light, You will use people to spread that light. Purify me, and let me reflect the light of Jesus in this dark world.