A bright light shining in the darkness

In one of the readings in church this Christmas Eve will be Isaiah 9:2,6-7.  The Hebrew prophet says: “The people walking in darkness see a bright light; light shines on those who live in a land of deep darkness” (NET).  Many of us are walking in darkness and are blind to our own sin of pride (one of seven capital sins).  I think this is why many people today do not feel any need for a savior.

This definition of pride clearly reveals what the sin of pride is:

PRIDE: One of the seven capital sins. Pride is undue self-esteem or self-love, which seeks attention and honor and sets oneself in competition with God (1866). It is essentially an act or disposition of the will desiring to be considered better than a person really is. Pride may be expressed in different ways: by taking personal credit for gifts or possessions, as if they had not been received from God; by glorying in achievements, as if they were not primarily the result of divine goodness and grace; by minimizing one’s defects or claiming qualities that are not actually possessed; by holding oneself superior to others or disdaining them because they lack what the proud person has; by magnifying the defects of others or dwelling on them. When pride is carried to the extent that a person is unwilling to acknowledge dependence on God and refuses to submit his or her will to God or lawful authority, it is a grave sin. [source]

This word brings a light that shines so brightly upon my darkness that I recognize a sin that was hidden from me.  I clearly have a need for a savior. Immanuel, “God who is with us”, has come.  The birth of Jesus the Messiah is good news indeed!

Have a blessed Christmas!