Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “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
For many years of my life, I was a late-riser. I never liked getting up early if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. In fact, the idea of waking up before the sun rose was almost nauseating to me.
But then we moved to Florida, and I kept hearing about the beautiful sunrises over the ocean. So one morning, I woke up to watch the sun rise. It was spectacular! From that time on, I got up to see the sun rise. And one of my favorite things about watching the sun rise was how slowly it emerged.
You see, when the sun rises, it doesn’t just appear in the sky. Instead it starts with darkness … then bands of color begin to light the horizon. Soon, reds and oranges illuminate the eastern sky. And then you begin to see that big yellow ball peeking over the ocean, rising slowly until its circle appears fully on the water. It’s amazing!
When heaven touched earth and God came into the world, it was like the dawning of the day. He could’ve just appeared, but instead He smiled on the world and His light began to slowly shine. He came to redeem us, to pay our debt and bring us out of the darkness.
On that silent night so long ago, the light began to dawn.
Thank God for that light today.
(To obtain a free copy of “The Cost of Christmas,” a 25-day advent devotional go to jackgraham.org, call 800-414-7693, or request it online at email@powerpoint.org.)
