I'll Leave the Light on for you (Part II)

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth

Light is a symbol of hope

• Have you ever been in a Cavern when the turned the lights out? You cannot see your hands in front of your face. Then when they light up a single candle, you are amazed at how much light that little candle can give.
  

• If a sailor is lost at sea or on a large lake, when they see that lighthouse, there is a feeling of hope and safety.

• If you are lost in the woods, a light in the distance gives you a feeling of hope, a target a goal to strive for.

2, 000 years ago to a dark world, seemingly devoid of hope, in a country controlled by a pagan military, a star appeared in the night sky.

Jesus attracted attention at his birth through the use of light:

• An angel appeared to shepherds, "and the glory of the Lord shone around them.
• The whole sky was aglow with angels praising God.
• A star appeared in the east to guide the magi to Christ's birthplace.

One scholar said it this way

The prophet Isaiah had anticipated their journey and the One they had come to see hundreds of years earlier: "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you!" (Isaiah 60:1). The ages had been dark for too long. Isaiah the prophet announced that the night was almost over.

• A new day was dawning.
• The exile was ending.
• New light was breaking in.

His message to the exiles and to Israel was full of hope and light: It shines on you and in you. Out of your darkest days new light is coming and it shall be a blessing for all nations.

What a great word of hope that was for those who had sat in darkness for so long. It was a word that they desperately needed to hear.

Don't we all?

Remember: hope was extended to the world via light!