Words of Hope Daily Devotional
Bright Morning Star
Read: Matthew 28:1-10
I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star. (Rev. 22:16)
Every once in a while, I awaken early enough to watch the dawn. Almost imperceptibly at first, the sky turns from black to gray, as the last bright stars wink out one by one. Sometimes, the clouds light up pink and orange, more fabulous than any sunset. The birds begin to sing. Then suddenly, the sun peeks above the horizon.
It was still night, “toward the dawn,” when the women who loved Jesus went to see his tomb (Matt. 28:1). Mark records that as they approached, they worried about how they would roll away the stone at the tomb’s entrance so they could get in and perform the culturally required preparations for Jesus’s body (16:3). But what they found surprised them! An earthquake, an angel who looked “like lightning,” and the stone rolled away (Matt. 28:2-3). Then, best of all: Jesus himself, alive and in the flesh. He greeted them, and they fell at his feet. A new day had truly dawned. The Bright Morning Star had risen.
Perhaps it seems strange that this week, we have been focusing on the story of Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection when we are preparing for Christmas. But when we remember this story during Advent, it helps us to keep the full picture in mind of who it is that we are preparing to celebrate on Christmas Day. When we welcome baby Jesus, we are also welcoming the Bright Morning Star who died and rose again.
As you pray, ask God to reveal the truth about who Jesus is to all who seek him.
About the Author
Sarah Sanderson is the author of The Place We Make: Breaking the Legacy of Legalized Hate. She lives with her husband and their four teenage children in Oregon.
The Vine
Read: John 15:1-11 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (v. 5) When I was young,
The Way, the Truth, and the Life
Read: John 13:36-14:7 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Our family was lost. My husband and I had taken our four
Resurrection and Life
Read: John 11:1-7; 17-27 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.” (v. 25) Ten years ago, a friend was diagnosed with cancer and given months to live. But the end didn’t come. Doctors were amazed by
Good Shepherd
Read: John 10:10-18 I am the good shepherd. (v. 14) Every year, our church puts on a Christmas pageant. We cast the children of the congregation in familiar Nativity roles, from a couple of young girls as angels to a
Door
Read: John 10:1-9 Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. (v. 7) Our dog barks anytime a stranger approaches our house. From her perch looking out the upstairs window, if she sees a delivery
Light of the World
Read: John 8:1-12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world.” (v. 12) While we were staying together at a retreat center on the Oregon Coast, my friend went walking on the beach at sunset