A light has dawned.
Isaiah 9:2 NIV
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.”
I love a good superhero movie. Yes, the action sequences, the storylines, the jokes—but more than anything, I think it’s the simple truth that good always wins.
And what loses?
Evil.
We don’t have to look far to see that evil exists. I think part of the reason we love superhero stories—or fantasies about wizards and kings defeating great darkness—is because we have an innate desire to hope in a hero.
Isaiah writes to Israel first with a warning: God’s judgment is coming. Israel has failed. They’ve become morally corrupt, and God says He will cut them down.
Yet even then—even in judgment—God sends a message of hope:
“A light has dawned.”
Hope has arrived.
The Christmas story reminds us that the Light stepped into our darkness. Instead of remaining distant, God became flesh and blood. He came to us as a baby.
Christmas reminds us that we could not save ourselves.
We are not the superhero of the story. We’re the ones caught in the darkness—both victims and participants in a broken world. Yet even still, Jesus comes for us. He is Immanuel—God with us.
Tim Keller puts it this way in Hidden Christmas:
“Things really are this bad, and we can’t heal or save ourselves. Things really are this dark—nevertheless, there is hope. The Christmas message is that ‘on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.’”
Here is the good news: Yes, God in His holiness will not overlook sin, but it is His compassion and love that compelled Him to come and save us.
Jesus is the King who has come to rescue us.
Wherever you find yourself today—there is hope.
Hope for your marriage.
Hope for your friendships.
Hope for your neighbor.
Hope for you.
And the beautiful thing about receiving the gift of hope is that we become conduits of hope to others. This doesn’t mean blind optimism or pretending life isn’t hard. No—we know the darkness is real. Yet we hope in spite of it.
Scripture shows us again and again that the heroes of our faith had to wait in hope. They longed for the Messiah. And as we enter this Advent season, we look back to His first coming—and forward to His promise to return.
Church, He is coming back for His bride.
Do not lose hope.
