The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you by night; but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun shall no more go down, or your moon withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended. Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever. They are the shoot I planted, the work of my hands, so that I might be glorified. The least of them shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation; I am the Lord; in its time I will accomplish it quickly. (Isaiah 60:19-22, NRSV)
There have been times in my life when I’ve been a lot like the people of Judah, to whom the prophet Isaiah was sent. I’ve done the right things but without the right heart. Other times, I didn’t even do the right things but instead focused more on what I wanted rather than on what God wanted.
Isaiah wants us to know that there are consequences to going through the motions of religion or focusing more on our own will instead of God’s will. And when the consequences of sin are experienced, whether it’s our sin or someone else’s, it’s tempting to blame God and to wonder if reconciliation or restoration is possible, either with God or with other people. Isaiah reminds us that, even in our darkest days, there is hope. The Light comes. God’s glory appears. And when the glory of God is upon us, not only will we see it…but others will too. This glory will shine so brightly that we won’t even need the sun and moon for illumination. This glory and the work of God’s hands can restore our relationship with God and our relationships with others. Isaiah goes so far as to say that our mourning will end.
May God grant us the grace to believe and to see this glory. Come, Lord Jesus; come in glory.
Note: There won’t be a daily devotional tomorrow. Instead, please join us in-person or online worship at St. Mark’s at 8:30am. You can livestream our worship on Facebook or YouTube. The service
