Savior of the Nations, Come (v. 7-8)

Attr. Ambrose of Milan (340-397)

From the manger newborn light

Shines in glory through the night.

Darkness there no more resides;

In this light faith now abides.

Glory to the Father sing,

Glory to the Son, our king,

Glory to the Spirit be

Now and through eternity.

               There He is laying in the manger. Breathe in the significance of this moment. God in human flesh. “In Him was life and the life was the light of humanity. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (Jn. 1:4-5) While all of history is marred by the darkness of sin, it is still the story of God’s mercy and love, and here, at the manger, there is a major moment of fulfilment. A ray of light, a beacon of hope, shines. God is here and He drives away the darkness.

               The night that Jesus was born, the angels say, “Glory to God in the highest! And on earth peace to the people with whom God is pleased.” (Literally, “the people of good pleasure.”) (Lk 2:14) As they sang a song of glory, we, too, join the refrain. Singing of the glory of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The song echoes through the ages and into eternity. We rejoice and join with all those who waited for the Savior of the Nations to come even as we wait for Him Who Came to come again.

               We are part of an eternal celebration of this newborn manger light. Isaiah says, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.” (Isa. 9:2 ESV) This is us. Jesus’ light shines and we ponder the glorious event that the Word, the Life, the Light, became flesh and dwelled among us and we have seen His glory, the glory as of the only Son from the Father full of grace and truth.

Prayer

               Lord Jesus, Your light shines from the manger and pierces the darkness of our sinful lives. It gives us a thrill of hope and the weary world rejoices. Give us faith to join with the angels and all people across history who have cried out to give You glory. As we prepare to celebrate Your birth we pray that Your light would shine in us as we await Your glorious return. And as Your light shines in us, let it shine through us to announce to the world that the Savior of the Nation has come. Amen.

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As you marvel at how God has come to you in the Jesus' miraculous birth, take a moment to consider how God comes to others through the simple act of speech. Someone speaks to another and shares the message of Jesus' birth, life, death, and resurrection, and God uses that action to create faith in that person. 

This is the work that Lutheran Campus Ministry of Kent (LCMK) is engaged in. In this past semester, three people were baptized through this ministry. It seems to me that a worthy way to celebrate Jesus coming to you would be to help others hear of Him, too. Please pray for LCMK that God would bless their work. And if you have the where-with-all, please make a donation to support their work. You can learn more about them (and donate) here https://kentstatelutherhouse.org/.