Walk in the Light

Scripture Passage

Isaiah 2:1-5 

This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: ² In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. ³ Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. ⁴ He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. ⁵ Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Sermon Script

When I was in high school, I knew a priest named Father Elliott. He used to come to my mom’s coffee shop for lunch. He was an elderly, soft-spoken, and pleasant man. I liked talking with him whenever I saw him.

One day, he gave me a book as a gift. It was a book about Jacob. I noticed he wrote a message for me on the front page. It read: “Keep your face to the light and the shadows will fall behind!” His message left a strong impression on me. I never forgot it.

It is true. We often see so much darkness around us. This week, there was a tragic earthquake in Indonesia. Hundreds of people died. About a third of them were children. The building collapsed on them while they were in class. The rescue search is still going on. People’s lives were suddenly overcome by darkness. The war in Ukraine is no exception. It’s now been going on for nine months. Due to the recent missile attacks, many people are without power, heat and water. Much of the country is plunged in darkness.

We also experience our own darkness. We see aspects of ourselves that we don’t like. We have our disappointments. We feel discouraged and hopeless at times. We even get STUCK in our own darkness.

Only LIGHT can pull us out of this darkness. We need a light that we can fix our eyes on, so that the shadows can fall behind us.

For Israel, today’s passage was that light. The light came to them through the prophet Isaiah, in the form of a VISION.

This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem…

Isaiah 2:1

People saw nothing but tragedy and destruction around them. The world they saw was full of darkness. They saw no hope. They experienced uncertainty and confusion. It seemed impossible that their future would be better.

Isaiah’s message pierced through their darkness like a ray of light. His vision was his message to Israel. Isaiah spoke of a new world without war, hostility, and conflict. A world that may have been too perfect or absurd for people to think about at the time.

He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.

Isaiah 2:4

Can you imagine such a world, especially today? Yet it was this message that later became Israel’s hope.

That is what light does. It shakes us out of our complacency. We can get used to being in the dark. It opens up our small world. It comes to us like a promise that is too good to believe and yet, is powerful enough to fill us with hope. It pulls us forward and moves us to action.

We don’t manufacture this light ourselves. It is God who brings this light into our lives.

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent means ‘coming’ or ‘arrival’. We wait for the coming of Jesus in our dark and broken world. We believe that Jesus’ return will fulfill God’s promise to heal, restore, and bring justice in this world. Christ will turn weapons of death into instruments of life. So we wait eagerly with hope and expectation.

But this waiting isn’t passive. Waiting with hope and expectation means we are PREPARING ourselves for Jesus’ coming. In that sense, the Christian understanding of waiting is ACTIVE. That’s why Isaiah said—

Come, descendants of Jacob, let us WALK in the light of the Lord.

Isaiah 2:5

We are called to walk in the light while we wait. To always keep our face to the light. Isaiah didn’t tell us to sit back and lounge around.

Don’t give in to the darkness that you see. Even when it may seem convenient and logical. It may seem easier to give up than to persevere. It may seem easier to be indifferent than to care. It may seem easier to hate than to love.

Keep walking in the light. Don’t lose sight of your hope. Hold firmly onto the hope God has given you. God will continue to shine his light into your life. No matter how dark it is, the light will never fade away. That is what John wrote beautifully in his gospel—

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

John 1:5

Let us journey through this Advent season reflectively. Pray for the world. Extend your love and care to the people around you. Become more attentive to your hearts and yourselves.