⭐ Week 1 — A Light Has Dawned
(Sunday Devotional)
Welcome to Week 1 of Christmas Lights. As we begin this journey together, my prayer is that the light of Christ will break into the places we often overlook — the weary places, the shadowed places, and even the hopeful places. May His dawn rise gently over your heart this week.
Scripture:
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.”
— Isaiah 9:2
Reflection
The story of Christmas doesn’t begin with a star in the sky or angels singing in the night. It doesn’t begin with shepherds awakened on a hillside or with a manger in a stable. It begins with darkness.
Isaiah describes a people who weren’t just surrounded by darkness—they walked in it, lived in it, and felt it press in on them day after day. It was a darkness of the soul… a darkness of confusion, fear, and evil. His words echo through the centuries because the world he described could easily be our own. We, too, know what it is to carry uncertainty, exhaustion, division, and the heaviness of things not being as they should be.
And into that heavy reality, God speaks a promise:
“A light has dawned.”
Not a light we create.
Not a spark we manage to ignite.
A light that rises because God chooses to break upon us.
Dawn does not negotiate with night. It does not ask the darkness to step aside. It simply appears—unstoppable—breaking the horizon, chasing away shadows, revealing what the night tried to hide.
This is the hope of Christmas:
Not that we have found our way out of the darkness,
but that God Himself has stepped into it,
and in Him there is no darkness at all.
I once took a group of young Rangers on a campout inside a deep cave. At one point, I gathered the boys together—each with a flashlight—and we turned them off, one by one. Soon, we were sitting in total darkness. You couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. I could sense the boys’ fear grow as the silence and darkness settled in.
Then I lit a single candle.
The light filled the room, expelled the darkness, and brought a smile to every face.
Maybe your darkness right now looks like constant pain… uncertainty about tomorrow… grief that still aches long after a loss… exhaustion that refuses to lift… or a loneliness that settles in when life feels heavier than you can carry.
Hear the good news of Christmas:
Jesus comes exactly where the night feels longest and the darkness the deepest.
You do not have to pretend the shadows aren’t real.
You do not have to create your own light.
You simply lift your eyes—because the Light has already come.
It has come for you.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
Thank You that You come to me right where I am—in the middle of my darkness, my questions, my heaviness, and my need.
Let Your light break upon me in new and unexpected ways this week.
Illuminate what I cannot see, steady my heart, and fill me with hope and anticipation.
Shine in me and through me, and help me to follow Your light one step at a time and be conscious to reflect Your light to others.
Amen.
Response for the Week
Choose one of these to mediate on throughout the week and process your thoughts and feelings with the Lord in prayer. Then with whatever the Holy Spirit reveals to you, create tangible actions steps of obedience.
1. “Lord, search me.”
Ask God to reveal any place in your heart where His light is needed.
Scripture: Psalm 139:24 (NLT)
2. “Jesus, shine Your truth.”
Invite Jesus to shine into a situation where you feel confusion or fear.
Scripture: John 12:46
3. “Your light cannot be overcome.”
Speak this promise over any area of darkness you’re carrying.
Scripture: John 1:5
🎁 A Gift to Share
If someone in your life might need encouragement this season—or if you’re participating as a family or small group—you’re welcome to forward these emails or invite them to subscribe:
👉 thisistheway.live
Sometimes the smallest invitation makes the biggest difference.
Read the full series here: https://thisistheway.live/t/christmas-lights