|
"How Lovely Shines the Morning Star"
"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned" (Isaiah 9:2).
Of all the spiritual analogies we find in the Scriptures, the one most often employed is the contrast of darkness and light. It is easy for us to appreciate: darkness is bad; light is good. Our Savior, Jesus, made use of this analogy more than once in the gospels. For instance, in John 3:19 Jesus spoke of himself as the Light of the world: "Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." Light represents the holiness and perfection of God; darkness represents the deep blight of our human sin and imperfection. And nothing is darker than death.
When Jesus our light crashed through the strong walls of this sinful world, he was entering the very realm of darkness. He came to conquer those spiritual powers of darkness-sin and death-and their wily overlord, Satan. By his atoning death and powerful resurrection from the dead, Jesus did just that! He is the great light that we who were walking in darkness have seen. He is our Morning Star.
This side of heaven, however, we continue our struggle with the conquered powers of darkness. Though purchased by God for an eternity through Jesus' blood, at the present our sinful flesh still clings feverishly to redeemed souls. Reflecting on this truth, Martin Luther described Christians as both saints and sinners, at the same time holy and sinful. We live in the darkness of sin while walking in the light of Christ. Yes, Christians live in darkness and light at the same time.
This paradox is touched upon in one of the greatest Christian hymns ever written, "How Lovely Shines the Morning Star" (CW 79). Often referred to as "the queen of chorales," it was written by Philipp Nicolai (1556-1608) and looks back fondly upon the day when Jesus' light first entered the world. It delights in the light that Jesus now provides through the dark days of this life. Finally, it looks forward with "deep yearning" (st. 4) to that day when God's people will shed the last remnants of their darkness and "there will be no more night" (Revelation 22:5).
We are encouraged to "lift up the voice and strike the string, let all glad sounds of music ring." Jesus has not only broken through the darkness, he has also promised to be with us "all the way . . . till trav'ling days are ended" (st. 5).
© 2007 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved.
|
