Easter: Celebration of new life in Christ
Isaiah 60:12-21
Vs 20 “Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end.”
Isaiah prophesied about Jesus, who would establish a heavenly kingdom of peace and prosperity. Through his prophecy he looked forward to the time when God’s glory would fully be revealed. Isaiah is trying to paint a picture of the world of Godly people after Jesus' second coming. Imagine living in a place where peace and prosperity abound… imagining that today is no easy task when considering what our new normal is today but that’s the amazing thing about Jesus, He has the power to take the things we cannot even fathom and make them into reality.
As the famous preacher D. Dickson said in his sermon, the present state of the people of God is of darkness and of sorrow but their future state is of uninterrupted light, of perpetual cessation from sorrow, consequently of endless joy. The Lord shall be the everlasting light of His people. Keeping this in mind, let’s take this time to reflect on all the things we have accomplished throughout these past few weeks. We have banned together to prove that social distancing cannot keep the church apart, we have opened our Bibles more than we ever have, we have created memories with our families that we could not have done had we been bogged down with the routines of our daily grind. God is whispering to us that even in the darkest times, He is the light and we need only look around to see that He is providing peace and comfort when there seems to be none.
In Revelation 21:4, God promises us that one day in heaven the things of this earth that have brought us to tears, sorrow, pain, and death, will be wiped away by God Himself. Eventually there will be a new day where Christ comes to reign on earth and the Glory of Jesus will illuminate the earth, not the sun or the moon. All sorrow, pain, and death will be taken away and new life will rise. As Christians, we need to realize His second coming is getting closer and closer. “Arise and shine!” was Isaiah's “wake-up call” to Jerusalem, During Isaiah’s time, in Jerusalem things needed to change for the better. They had been under the rule of Syria and then Assyria and were about to come under the control of Babylon. They were worshipping false gods and God was angry at them for it. They had no peace or happiness because they were not upholding truth, righteousness, and justice in their own land. They needed a change, but only God could give them that change. Now it should be our "wake-up call" as we know his second coming is near. We too are being called to “Arise and shine” in the midst of the darkness and in the soft light of the new day dawning so that we can be a testimony to those around just as Isaiah prophesied, we too are called to wake up and call others out of their slumber.
Do we need transformation in our life? The real transformation will not come through the worldly things that we surround ourselves with, but through trusting Jesus to take away our sin and following Him. For those of us that are new to this idea and even for those that are seasoned Christians… consider how easy it is to connect with the person sitting next to you… all it takes is spending time with them, getting to know what they like and dislike. It’s just that easy with Jesus Christ too. All we have to do is pick up His book and we can learn all there is to know about Him and dive into the deepest, most rewarding relationship of our lives.
PRAYER
Dear God, touch our hearts and transform us so we can be with you in your full glory attaining peace and happiness that only you can provide. Protect us and keep us safe as the world is struggling to cope with the worldly pain and sufferings.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17
Sherry George, St. Thomas MTC, New York
Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church
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