January 6, 2019 - FOLLOWING THE LIGHT

Day 6 - (Today’s Bible readings: Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12)

1 Arise, shine, for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
2 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.
3 And nations shall come to your light,
    and kings to the brightness of your rising....
6 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 bring good news, the praises of the Lord. (Isaiah 60:1-6 ESV)

Today we celebrate the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy of the coming of the wise men. According to the Bible, the magi (wise men) arrived in Bethlehem when Jesus was somewhere between 41 days and 2 years old. That’s why Matthew tells us that they went into the house and worshiped the baby Jesus. For some, this is surprising. As  interesting as the facts of the coming of the wise men are, the main point is that Jesus came for a world covered in the darkness of sin.
2 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.

The birth of Jesus ushered in the saving light of the Gospel. Jesus put it this way:
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12 ESV)

The wise men followed Jesus and were blessed with the light of the world. Will you be following Him too?

I want to walk as a child of the light; 
I want to follow Jesus. 
God set the stars to give light to the world; 
The star of my life is Jesus.
Refrain:
In him there is no darkness at all; 
The night and the day are both alike. 
The Lamb is the light of the city of God. 
Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus.
“I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light” Lutheran Service Book, CPH 3006, #LSB 411

Lord Jesus, thank You for being the light of the world who came to enlighten all people with Your love and forgiveness. In response to Your mercy and grace in my life, may I walk in You light today and every day.   Amen.

“See” you at the Communion rail this morning!

Pastor David Paape 

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105 ), is the theme for this three-year journey through the entire Old Testament once (the Psalms - twice yearly), and the New Testament twice. There will be daily readings from the O.T., Psalms and the N.T. Special days on the church calendar will be highlighted with appropriate readings. This calendar has been compiled by representatives of the Lutheran Church of Canada, the North American Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. Please click this link for the daily reading calendar:
https://blogs.lcms.org/2017/lcms-lcc-and-nalc-compile-three-year-schedule-of-daily-bible-readings
Then scroll down to 2019 Bible Reading Calendar and download it if you so wish. The “assigned” daily readings will appear on a daily basis in this blog. May the Lord bless your meditation upon His precious life-giving Word!