December 24: Isaiah 9:6-7 / Luke 1:31-33

Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. – The Prophet Isaiah

…And of his kingdom there will be no end. – The Angel Gabriel

I want it to go on forever – the lights, the carols, the sheer delight. All that I experience on Christmas Eve- chasing away the darkness, heralding peace on earth… I never want it to end, especially in the winter, when darkness wraps itself like a blanket over my heart.

When God spoke to Isaiah the prophet, darkness had already descended on his people. King Uzziah, whose reign brokered a decades-long peace, was dead. The drum-beats of war echoed through his land. And yet, God spoke. Through the lens of the Spirit, Isaiah saw beyond the impending disasters to a new age- peace for all time and for all people.

When God spoke to Mary through the Angel Gabriel, the land had been in the grip of darkness for centuries- wars, conquest and eventually, occupation by the brutal Roman Empire. Can you imagine the one blazing moment of hope, when Mary heard that her child was going to usher in peace for all time and for all people?!

To all who long for peace, we have God’s promise, spoken then and now through the Son, the veritable Prince of Peace. When we sing ‘Peace on Earth!’ this Holy Night, may the Beacon of Light that is Jesus, pierce the darkness in our lives, both now and forevermore. 

Rev. Dawn E. Volpe
Retired Moravian Pastor



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