“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 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. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. . . Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, . . . ” (Isaiah 60:1-6)

As we contemplate the Magi we realize in the words of Isaiah some of the joy, hope, and expectation they experienced when they saw the light of the glorious star they saw in the heavens. Most people then as now lived in the darkness of evil, enslaved to sin and its consequences. Isaiah’s prophetic words tell of the coming of the Messiah as the shining splendor and glorious radiance of light. The Messiah comes to bring the glory of God’s light, a light that dispels the darkness giving way to the bright glory God’s salvation and His kingdom.

Isaiah portrays this new kingdom as a new act of creation. Genesis 1 tells us that when God created the heavens and the earth He created them by dispelling the darkness on the face of the deep. Here He creates His kingdom in a spiritual way by dispelling the darkness of sin. In the new Kingdom all will be light for God will be there. Each member of God’s kingdom will be filled with God’s glory and righteousness.

Many people in the world today look forward to a new year with hope and expectation. Others approach it filled with fear and anxiety. We believers see the new year as one more step closer to the fulfillment of God’s kingdom. We look forward to it with hope but also with a sense of sadness as we compare the light of the coming kingdom with the darkness of the world in which we live. Oh how we long for that light to shine always! And so we persevere in this darkness with faith, hope, and patience, totally dependent on the Lord knowing that kingdom of light is ours in Christ Jesus