And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." (Luke 1:76-79)

There's a reason why people in hospitals, sitting by the beds of loved ones, look out the window at the night. They are waiting for dawn—for the hope of a new and better day.

Zechariah refers to Jesus as our sunrise who "shall visit us from on high." He will not simply stay in heaven and shine on us from there—He will come down, into our dark world, and be born as a human baby among us. He will "give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death." He will do more than that—through His death and resurrection, He will remove the shadow of death forever, and bring us into the everlasting light of God's kingdom.

Zechariah spoke as a man who was privileged to see the first rays of dawn, the beginning of Jesus' coming. But you and I have something even better—the full knowledge of how Jesus has saved us, laying down His life for us, and then sharing His resurrection life with us even now. We see the sunrise clearly—and already we begin to see the increasing full light of His wonderful day.

THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, lead us into the light of Jesus. Amen.

Reflection Questions:

* Which do you prefer, sunrise or sunset? Why?

* Can you recall a sunrise that meant a lot to you?

* How does Jesus' coming into our world give you hope?

Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Today's Bible Readings: Psalms 84, 90    Revelation 9

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