Today is December 12th in the second week of Advent.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.  
 
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence, and say Come Holy Spirit.  
 
Today’s reading is from the book of Isaiah, chapter 60. 
 

“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” 
 

Think about all that darkness hides, and the relief that comes with the light of morning. Have you ever felt afraid of the dark? As we begin our time of prayer today, call to mind a time you felt anxious, or worried, or covered by a ‘thick darkness’ of mind or body or soul. 
 
Can you recall the sense of relief, or peace you felt when the Lord met you in that place? When the darkness lifted? Try to remember what it felt like to move from darkness into light… Our text from Isaiah might call to mind the Genesis 1 narrative… where we read that God’s spirit hovered over darkness and voice… and that God spoke order into disordered… first speaking: ‘let there be light’.  
 
Turn to the Lord in personal prayer, and pray for places in your own life, or in the world around, where you experience darkness. Pray for specific people and situations who need an interruption of the brightness of the peace of Christ. 
 
All too often, holiday seasons are frenetic and not calm, chaotic and not peaceful. Work today to find a situation that you can interrupt with the brightness of the peace of Christ. Perhaps at work, during a family meal, or even in your own heart. Be intentional about being a person of brightness, and of peace, today, by the grace of God. 

 
Come, thou long expected Jesus, 
born to set thy people free; 
from our fears and sins release us, 
let us find our rest in thee. 
Behold, the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it… 
In the name of the Father, and the son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.