December 6, 2024 - Bubbling with Excitement

Bubbling With Excitement 

Friday, December 6, 2024

by: Rebecca Pruett

"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.

Lift up your eyes all around, and see;

they all gather together, they come to you;

your sons shall come from afar, 

and your daughters shall be carried on the hip.

Then you shall see and be radiant;

your heart shall thrill and exult,

because of the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,

the wealth of the nations shall come to you."

Isaiah 60:1-5 ESV

One of my favorite memories from my childhood Christmases was opening the boxes of Christmas decorations and decorating the tree. We always had a freshly cut tree - picked out from a Christmas tree lot or a grocery store, because we lived just outside New York City and I don't think there were any lots large enough for a Christmas tree farm near us. 

My absolute favorite decorations were the bubble lights that we put up on the tree. We would play Christmas songs and decorate the tree. Then we would turn the house lights off and plug the bubble lights in and wait with suppressed anticipation for the bubble lights to warm up and start bubbling with different colors all over the tree. Then one light would start to bubble, and then the next until the tree was covered with bubbling lights, bubbling with excitement for Christmas, just like the bubbling, excited children surrounding the tree.

Isaiah 60:1-5 reminds me of this same feeling. The Israelites were waiting in darkness, full of anticipation for their coming Savior. Spiritual darkness covered them, but they had hope for the coming of their Savior. 

The darkness was thick and heavy with the weight of sin. But the glory of the Lord was coming. God promised that His glory would shine on His people and the light would be so bright that the surrounding nations would notice and be drawn to it.

Other nations are all well and good, but I think the next verse, verse 4, might be the part that warms my heart the most. "Lift up your eyes all around and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip." I think of my children and the joy that comes when they are near me. And I remember how the Israelites were spread out and separated as they were taken captive. How horrifying it would be to have my children separated from me. 

"Your sons shall come from afar and your daughters shall be carried on the hip." It sounds to me like the joy of welcoming family into my home and the excitement of seeing my children come through the door.

Christmas does not have the same spark of excitement to me as an adult as it did when I was a child. I get brief sparks of that excitement during a Christmas hymn, the smell of fresh cut Christmas trees, or the sight of bubbling Christmas lights in the darkness. In fact, I think I might need to dig out the bubble lights so my children can experience that same anticipation, waiting in the dark for the bubble lights to warm up and start bubbling with excitement!

Father, 

The way you spoke through Isaiah hundreds of years before Jesus was born is amazing! It helps us to understand your omnipresence and your plan from the beginning of time. Help us to understand your light, and what it means to be in your presence. We want to live in your light, Father, and we want to be a reflection of the light of Christ to others. Jesus came to be a light to all of us, not just a certain people group. He came to brighten up all of our days. Help us to discover this light in us, Father, and shine brightly for your kingdom!

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.

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