It is not a coincidence that Advent and Christmas come during the darkest time of the year. Fleming Rutledge, an Episcopal priest, reminded her congregation that “Every year, Advent begins in the dark.” When we want to sing happy songs and make everything festive, we cheapen the meaning of Christmas. But when we look into the darkness and stare at death, we are able to long for and hope for the Light who has come and will come again. This is what Advent is about. “To be a Christian is to live every day of our lives in solidarity with those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death but to live in the unshakable hope of those who expect the dawn” (Rutledge).
This year's Advent Daily Devotional will take us into the book of Isaiah. Isaiah was written to a people who knew deep darkness -- the darkness of sin, suffering, and threats from all sides. Yet even in the midst of seemingly unrelenting darkness, God assured his people of an unrelenting hope. Their story would not end in the darkness of destruction and despair, but in the light of a Savior who would bring a new dawn of comfort, healing, and restoration.
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