December 20: Arise, Shine! The Glory of the Lord is Upon You!
♫ Music:
Day 18 - Wednesday, December 20
Title: ARISE, SHINE! THE GLORY OF THE LORD IS UPON YOU!
Scripture #1: Isaiah 9:2 (NKJV)
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.
Scripture #2: Isaiah 60:1–6 (NKJV)
“Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles 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 nursed at your side. Then you shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you. The multitude of camels shall cover your land, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and incense, and they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.”
Poetry & Poet:
“Glory to God Alone”
by William Cowper
Oh loved! but not enough--though dearer far
Than self and its most loved enjoyments are;
None duly loves thee, but who, nobly free
From sensual objects, finds his all in thee.
Glory of God! thou stranger here below,
Whom man nor knows, nor feels a wish to know;
Our faith and reason are both shocked to find
Man in the post of honour—Thee behind.
Reason exclaims--'Let every creature fall,
Ashamed, abased, before the Lord of all;'
And faith, o'erwhelmed with such a dazzling blaze,
Feebly describes the beauty she surveys.
Yet man, dim–sighted man, and rash as blind,
Deaf to the dictates of his better mind,
In frantic competition dares the skies,
And claims precedence of the Only wise.
Oh, lost in vanity, till once self–known!
Nothing is great, or good, but God alone;
When thou shalt stand before his awful face,
Then, at the last, thy pride shall know his place.
Glorious, Almighty, First, and without end!
When wilt thou melt the mountains and descend?
When wilt thou shoot abroad thy conquering rays,
And teach these atoms, thou hast made, thy praise?
Thy glory is the sweetest heaven I feel;
And, if I seek it with too fierce a zeal,
Thy love, triumphant o'er a selfish will,
Taught me the passion, and inspires it still.
My reason, all my faculties, unite,
To make thy glory their supreme delight:
Forbid it, fountain of my brightest days,
That I should rob thee, and usurp thy praise!
My soul! rest happy in thy low estate,
Nor hope, nor wish, to be esteemed or great,
To take the impression of a will divine,
Be that thy glory, and those riches thine.
Confess him righteous in his just decrees,
Love what he loves, and let his pleasure please;
Die daily; from the touch of sin recede;
Then thou hast crowned him, and he reigns indeed.
LIGHT TO THE DARKNESS
The lower portion of El Vertice by Enrique Martinez Celaya depicts a landscape that often resembles the condition of our own hearts and those of the Israelites to whom Isaiah 9:2 was addressed: a state of darkness, alienated from God.
In the places of our darkness, there is pride, selfishness, emptiness, devastation, chaos, and death. It is a place completely void of color and life. Notice the lower half of El Vertice––we see dark grays, blacks, a section of deep orange fire and smoke, and the character in the image is all black, as if to say, "I have no life left in me." In our darkness, there is little life left in us.
In our darkness, we feel the need to control our own lives. Blinded by our sin, we see only our own truth, rather than God's. Instead of listening to the living God, we seek to live life on our own terms. Or perhaps we approach God solely to get what we want from him, attempting to bend him to our will. We want to be in control of our own lives, because we think we know what is best for us. How many times have we said to ourselves, "I want to be the one in charge?" If we're honest, more often than we'd like to admit.
But God has a special blessing for this dark land, if only we will "lift up thine eyes." It says in Isaiah 60:1-2 (NKJV) "Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you."
Look at the top portion of the painting El Vertice, and you see a glorious light, colors of bright yellow, white, green, and purple. The brilliant yellow light seems to form a dazzling star. See the glory of the Lord arise over you.
Lift up thine eyes "and the days of your mourning shall be ended" (Isaiah 60:20, NKJV). Lift up thine eyes and see the glorious light of the Messiah. The light has broken through the darkness. It’s time for rejoicing. We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. That is the light we see.
Get out of the place of darkness, and gloom, and desolation, and fear, and smoke, and burning. See the glory of the Lord, and the power of his victory.
From the music of Dan Forrest, Arise, Shine! taken from Isaiah 60, "For behold, darkness shall cover the earth...but the Lord will arise upon you and His glory will be upon you. And nations shall come to your light and kings to the brightness of your rising. Arise, shine; for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord has arisen upon you."
We are no longer lost in our sin, no longer victims of the dark places in the bleak landscape, no longer left with "no life in the darkness." Lift up thine eyes and see hope and joy and peace and rest. Piercing the darkness is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. He has come to restore, to bring light into the dark places. Could there be anything more glorious?
Prayer
Lord God, we pray that we would reflect Your light to the world. Jesus, we praise You for the light You have shown in the darkness of our lives. We praise You for piercing the darkness of our sins, for redeeming us, forgiving us, taking our shame and turning it into honor, taking that which was dark and bringing to it dazzling light. Your life is light to us and God, we pray that You would use Your light in us to shine before others, so that people might be drawn to You through us. Help us to live lives that reflect the glorious light of Jesus so that others see it and give glory to You. God, please may it be so.
Amen
Dr. Robin LaBarbera
Professor Emerita
School of Education
Biola University
LaBarbera Learning Solutions
Seal Beach, California
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Art:
El Vertice (The Vertex)
Enrique Martínez Celaya
2015
Oil and wax on canvas
152.4 x 111.8 cm.
Weatherspoon Art Museum
Greensboro, North Carolina
About the Artist:
Enrique Martínez Celaya (b. 1964) is a contemporary, Cuban-born painter, sculptor, author, and former scientist whose work has been exhibited and collected by major institutions around the world. He trained and worked as a physicist, completing all coursework for his doctorate, before devoting himself full-time to his artwork. He holds master's degrees in physics and fine arts, and has authored books on art and philosophy as well as scientific articles. He is currently a Montgomery Fellow at Dartmout College and the Provost Professor of Humanities and Arts at USC. About his interest in literature, Martínez Celaya states, “Reading is a primary source for my work. I read philosophy and literature and that is the universe I see my work in, even though I'm a visual artist....Often when artists talk about writers, they're talking about them as source of content. I'm reading them for a moral stance in the world.” Martínez Celaya lives and works in Los Angeles, California.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrique_Martinez_Celaya
To listen to an interview of Enrique Maritnez Celeya with Krista Tippett from the On Being podcast recorded at Biola University click here.
About the Music:
“Arise, Shine” from the album Arise, Shine: The Choral Music of Dan Forrest
Lyrics: (from Isaiah 60:1–4, 19–20)
Arise, shine! (2x)
For thy light is come, (2x)
And the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee!
Arise, shine! (2x)
For behold, darkness shall cover the earth;
But the LORD shall arise upon thee,
And His glory shall be seen upon thee.
The sun shall be no more thy light by day;
Neither for brightness shall the moon give light;
But the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light,
And thy God shall be thy glory;
and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
Arise, thy light is come!
Lift up thine eyes and see:
All nations shall come to thy light,
And kings to the brightness of thy rising.
Arise, shine! For thy light is come!
Arise, shine! (2x)
For thy light is come, (2X)
and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee!
About the Composer:
Dan Forrest (b. 1978) has been described as having “an undoubted gift for writing beautiful music…that is truly magical” (NY Concert Review), with works hailed as “magnificent, very cleverly constructed sound sculpture” (Classical Voice), and “superb writing…full of spine-tingling moments” (Salt Lake Tribune). His music has sold millions of copies, has received numerous awards and distinctions, and has become well established in the repertoire of choirs around the world via festivals, recordings, radio/TV broadcasts, and premieres. Forrest’s work ranges from small choral works to instrumental solo works, wind ensemble works, and extended multi-movement works for chorus and orchestra. His Requiem for the Living (2013) and Jubilate Deo (2016) have become standard choral/orchestral repertoire for ensembles around the world, and his more recent major works LUX: The Dawn From On High (2018) and the breath of life (2020) have also received critical acclaim. Dan holds a doctorate in composition and a master’s degree in piano performance, and served for several years as a professor and department head (music theory and composition) in higher education. He currently serves as editor at Beckenhorst Press; chair of the American Choral Directors Association Composition Initiatives Committee; and artist-in-residence at Mitchell Road Presbyterian Church in Greenville, South Carolina.
https://danforrest.com/
About the Performers:
The Bob Jones University Chorale, under the direction of Dr. Warren Cook, comprises both undergraduate and graduate students. The Chorale performs regularly on campus in full-length concerts as well as oratorio and opera productions. The Chorale also tours regularly, performing community concerts, conducting school music festivals, and singing for churches and Christian schools.
https://www.bju.edu/events/fine-arts/concerts.php
Dr. Warren Cook served on the Bob Jones University music faculty for thirty-five years—thirty years of which he conducted the University Chorale, along with several other student choral groups. Recently retired, he is recognized for his contribution to the world of choral artistry at the state, regional, national and international levels. His choirs have sung around the world, from South Korea to the ACDA National Convention to Orchestra Hall in Chicago, Illinois.
https://whosonthemove.com/dr-warren-cook-receives-lifetime-achievement-award/
About the Poetry and Poet:
William Cowper (1731–1800) was an English poet and hymnodist. One of the most popular poets of his time, Cowper changed the direction of eighteenth-century poetry by writing of everyday life and scenes of the English countryside. In many ways, he was one of the forerunners of Romantic poetry. Samuel Taylor Coleridge called him "the best modern poet." It was during a time of deep depression that Cowper wrote one of his most beloved hymns, “There is a Fountain Filled with Blood.” It is based on Zechariah 13:1—“On that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.” The hymn is a meditation on the saving power of the blood of Christ.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/william-cowper
About the Devotion Author:
Dr. Robin LaBarbera
Professor Emerita
School of Education
Biola University
LaBarbera Learning Solutions
Seal Beach, California
Dr. Robin LaBarbera is a Biola University Professor Emerita now working as a program evaluation consultant using her voice of lived experience and her research and writing platform to help non-profit leaders have maximum impact on today's most pressing societal problems.