How Far Will the Light Reach?

Have you ever watched the sunrise? Slowly but surely, the dark of night melts away into bright shades of blue. As the minutes pass, the sky picks up hues of brilliant, beautiful color. The light from the rising sun goes everywhere and touches everything, as far as you can see. It welcomes a brand-new day.

Each morning’s sunrise is a gift from God to us. It surrounds us with beauty and reminds us God’s mercies and faithfulness are new every morning.

For many years, God’s people walked in darkness. They were far from Him and didn’t follow His ways. But God used the prophets to tell His people a Light was coming. This Light would be so amazing that blind people would be able to see and prisoners would be set free. God’s people, the Israelites, waited for this light for hundreds of years.

Then, after all that waiting, an angel appeared in the temple to a priest named Zechariah. He was very afraid, but the angel had good news for him. Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, had no children. The angel told him Elizabeth would have a baby boy and he was to be named John. John would grow up and prepare God’s people for the Light of the World.

It was hard for Zechariah to believe this news because he and his wife were old. Because Zechariah did not believe that he and Elizabeth would have a son, the angel took away his  voice. He couldn’t speak until the day John was born. When Zechariah’s voice returned, he used his words to praise God. Let’s read what he said in Luke chapter 1, verses 76-79.

Zechariah’s son, John, would be a prophet of the Most High. John would tell others about the salvation, forgiveness and mercy of God. He would tell those in the darkness that a Light was coming, just like the sun brings light to our days. This Light was so bright it would illuminate the entire world, bringing salvation to the ends of the earth. The Light of the World was coming.