Image from biblia.com
Hear the devo: https://bit.ly/45kFD8g
View devo: https://bit.ly/49RE7vR
1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan— 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. 3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. 4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. (Isaiah 9:1-4 NIV)
Dear Friend, as we pray today let us pray for the family of Mrs. Dora Elda Peña, of Mission, Texas, who passed away a few days ago. Dora Elda was a dear, sweet lady and member of our church, El Mesias UMC during our eleven years there. She was a Sunday school teacher for all that time and she was a Communion steward who made our Communion bread every month. It was the most delicious potato bread that I had even tasted, and every month she would bring me two loaves; one for worship and the sacrament of Holy Communion, and the other was either for me or for someone I could choose to be blessed with this special bread. May God's comfort be with Tony, her husband, their daughter Elda Iris, and their son, Tony Jr., and with all who knew and loved her.
Nellie and I enjoy stories that we find online, most of them I believe are generated by AI but could be based on real life people and families, the kind one would hope would stay as a story and not a reality. Most of the stories have the dynamics of reality; self-centeredness, greed, ambition, violence, abuse, a "star" son or daughter, and an unwanted, barely-tolerated child. Those in these stories that exhibit one of more of the above, it should be said, are walking in darkness. The Light of Christ is absent from their heart and lives. And I firmly believe the Bible is filled with those same characters and helps us better understand life while calling us to change and to leave the darkness and come into the light of God.
Each teaching in the Bible will present the Ideal, what which best reflects God's virtues and attributes. It is what we aim for. The Bible will also have stories of the Real, which shows that which can and usually does take place in life. Some would call it the reality of life or that's life. I saw a short video just this morning of a woman who is now in her golden years but she was remembering the joyous day when she graduated from college as a chemical engineer. She said she never wanted to be a chemical engineer, but her father said that was the only degree he would pay for. When she finished her final exams and learned she had Aced them, she called her father and he solemnly said, "Good, I can finally write that article on how I taught a monkey how to read and write and do math." Needless to say it hit her hard and as I read the comments from those who had also seen her video and the very first one said something coldblooded about it not being a big deal and she should be glad she got her education free and that was life. The Unreal reflects those kind of remarks and situations where there is suffering and violence; indifference and apathy.
Where, my friend, are you? Are you living the ideal life? Or, suffering through the unreal wishing you were at least in the Real parrt of life? "Nevertheless." What a powerful word to begin a prophecy of hope. It acknowledges the reality of gloom, distress, and humiliation without being defined by them. It's the hinge between what has been and what will be, the breath before God speaks light into darkness.
Isaiah's prophecy was given to a people who knew darkness intimately. Zebulun and Naphtali had been humbled, trampled by invading armies, living under the shadow of oppression. Their darkness wasn't metaphorical—it was the real weight of foreign yoke on their shoulders, the rod of cruel taskmasters, the daily grind of life without freedom or hope. And yet, Isaiah dares to speak of light.
Seven centuries later, Matthew would quote this very passage when describing Jesus beginning his ministry in Galilee. The prophecy found its fulfillment not in military victory or political liberation, but in a carpenter from Nazareth who walked those same roads, teaching about the kingdom of God. The light that dawned wasn't what anyone expected—it came in weakness, in servanthood, in a cross.
Notice the transformation this light brings. It doesn't just illuminate the darkness so people can see how bad things are. It shatters yokes, breaks bars, destroys the instruments of oppression. It brings joy like a harvest celebration, like warriors dividing plunder after an impossible victory. This is Epiphany light—revealing and liberating, exposing and healing.
The deep darkness Isaiah describes is still with us. It's in the addiction that won't release its grip, the depression that colors everything gray, the injustice that grinds people down, the loneliness that echoes in crowded rooms. But the promise remains: there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. The light has dawned, and it has a name—Jesus.
PRAYER: O God of light and liberation, we come before you as people who know both darkness and the promise of dawn. Some of us are walking in shadows today—burdened by yokes we cannot shake, oppressed by circumstances we cannot control, living in the land of deep darkness. We cling to your "nevertheless," trusting that gloom does not have the final word. Thank you for sending your Son as the great light, for breaking the power of sin and death, for shattering every yoke that binds us. Increase our joy as those who have seen your salvation. Help us to live as people of the light, reflecting your radiance into the dark places of our world. Where we encounter others walking in darkness, make us bearers of hope, agents of liberation, witnesses to the light that has dawned in Christ Jesus. In his luminous name we pray. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: This week, bring a "dakrness" you are facing into the light of Christ through prayer, conversation with a trusted friend or pastor, or by taking one concrete step toward freedom or healing. Then, look for someone else who is "walking in darkness" and find a practical way to be a bearer of light to them.
I love you and I thank God for you! You matter to God and you matter to me. Be the light of Jesus in all your life!
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
