One of my favorite Christmas carols is “O Holy Night,” mostly because I love the first verse:

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
‘til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!

The Weary World

If there is one word that accurately describes the feeling in the world right now, it is probably “weary.”

We are weary from two years of pandemic. We are weary of restriction and new variants. We are weary of our friends and family members getting sick, and even dying. We are weary from the divisiveness in society. We are weary of inflation, tragedy, tension, and strife.

But, as this song reminds us, the coming of Jesus into the world is good news for the weary world. It gives us weary people a reason to rejoice. Why? Because it tells us that, “yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.”

The Day Dawns

One of the greatest metaphors the Bible uses to describe where we are at currently in the big picture of human history is: Dawn.

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. – John 1:9

Dawn is an interesting period; *it is a time when night and day, darkness and light, exist simultaneously in the same space, yet neither are in full force*.

At dawn, the darkness that formerly ruled the night is broken by the light, but it is still dark out … though not as dark as it used to be. However, at dawn, even though light has come, the light is not yet present in its full form, because although the light has appeared, it has not yet broken over the horizon to fully dispel the darkness.

Peter expressly uses this metaphor of dawn in his second letter:

We have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until *the day dawns* and *the morning star* rises in your hearts. – 2 Peter 1:19

The Morning Star

Jesus is called “the morning star.” The “star” known as the morning star is not actually a star, but the planet Venus. The reason it is called the morning star is because it is the last “star” that is visible in the sky once the dawn has come.

The meaning and message of Christmas is that the true light has come into the world, and the dawn has begun. The beginning of dawn is an irreversible occurrence; once the first light of dawn has broken the darkness of night, it is only a matter of time before the sun crests the horizon, totally dispelling the darkness, bringing about the full light of the new day.

We live in a time right now where there is darkness in the world. It touches our lives, and we groan, along with all of the fallen creation, under the weight of the curse of sin and death. And yet, with the coming of Jesus into the world in His first advent, dawn has come: The light of life has come into our world in the person of Jesus Christ. We have the light of God’s Word to guide us … as we wait with eager expectation for Jesus’ second advent when He comes again!

For our world, covered in the shroud of darkness, a darkness which permeates even our own hearts, the message is clear: The advent of Jesus is the death knell of darkness and the guarantee that a new day is on the horizon.

Let us look to the morning star to give us hope until that day comes!

Traditionally, Christians have remembered the four Sundays before Christmas Day as Sundays of Advent, often lighting a series of four candles over those days. In our home we have a row of four red advent candles, one for each of those Sundays. By the time the fourth Sunday comes all four candles are bright, their flames bringing light to our home.

It’s a tradition that can serve to prepare us to celebrate the earth-shaking event of the coming of Jesus; God adding humanity to His deity and coming as if He was any other child.

Candles give light, and one purpose of light is to give confidence and courage. In the dark, it’s easy to be afraid and even to be a coward. Jesus changed everything by bringing His light into the world.

When Jesus came into the world, the angels spoke to the shepherds of Bethlehem:

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid” (Luke 2:10).

This was not only a word for those specific shepherds; it was sort of an announcement to all humanity – that the arrival of Jesus means the end of fear.

It was good news to men that the Second Person of the Trinity added humanity to His deity, because it meant that there really was something compatible between God and man. Man can never become God; but if God can add humanity to His deity, it demonstrates that man really is made in His image. The incarnation shows that God is not necessarily an enemy to humanity. We never read that Jesus took the nature of angels, but He did take the nature of unfallen humanity.

So, don’t be afraid. Jesus comes as a friend to mankind, even in our weakness and sin. He comes near. We are not left as orphans in the universe, but the Creator of the universe has drawn near to us. The same One who made all things with a word, came as the Eternal Word unto us.

Jesus came to bring light, not darkness. The light chases away fear, ignorance, and discouragement. We can hear what the angels spoke to those ancient shepherds and understand that God speaks the same word to us: Jesus has come, “Do not be afraid.”

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!'”– Luke 2:13-14

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the CalvaryChapel.com Team!

Enjoy all of the following Christmas articles:

* “The Key to Keeping Your Focus on Christ at Christmas”– Cheryl Brodersen

* “Christmas Eve: “Emmanuel at Street Level”– Bill Welsh

* “What Can I Bring Him: A Gift for a King”– Bill Welsh

* “Home for Christmas: Pondering the Gospel This Advent Season”– Keith Fortenberry

* “From the Christmas Tree to the Tree of Calvary: The Meaning Behind Advent”– Jody Ponce

* “Good News for Zechariah and for Us”– Matt Kottman

* “Christmas and the Incarnation of Christ”– Sarah Yardley

* “Missionaries and the Wise Men from the East: Similarities That Bring Encouragement”– Jeff Jackson

* “Christmas Truce: The Day World War I Stopped”– Mike Dente

* “The Grinch, The Christ and The Meaning of Christmas”– Mike Chaddick

* “The Pedagogy of Christmas: How Christmas Teaches Us About Ourselves, and What We Value Most”– Mike Chaddick

* “Why Jesus Came to Us: An Advent Meditation”– David Guzik

* “The End of Fear: An Advent Meditation”– David Guzik

* “Where Christmas Began: An Advent Meditation”– David Guzik

* “What Mary Knew: An Advent Meditation”– David Guzik