Getting ready for Advent

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

 As Christmas approaches, we hear and sometimes sing these great words from Isaiah. The season of Advent is like the slow dawning of this light...welcomed and anticipated in lighting candles. The symbolism of light is a powerful one, and perhaps no-one in Scripture experienced this as dramatically as Paul.

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.

 Acts 9:3

 This Advent season, I want to walk with Paul on his journey to Jesus. Sometimes we think of Paul as some kind of super-saint, knowing all the answers and daunting in his theology. But this Advent, I want to know what sort of man he was, and what happened when this new kind of light dawned in his life. I love the stories of Christmas- the sheep, angels and stable. But Paul lived in a world so much more like my own. It's an urban world, where people travel, do business, make money and look for new ways to spend it. Paul knew how to be a success in that sort of world. He was fluent in at least Aramaic and Greek, used to travelling and confident in the company of powerful and influential men.

When the light from heaven flashed around him on that Damascus road, what did it reveal?

Do we dare to let that same light shine into our lives this Advent?

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