"Arise, Shine, for Your Light Has Come"
If you’ve ever thumbed through the Book of Common Prayer, you may have come across some songs with familiar words under a funny name. These “canticles” are songs from the Bible or from other texts written between the Old and New Testaments. They are among the oldest songs that God’s people have sung together, and they have a rich history in the musical history of Anglicanism.
On Sunday, we are going to sing a song based on one of these canticles—the 3rd Song of Isaiah (Isaiah 60). It starts with a wake up call: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of God is on you.” The light breaks through a heavy darkness that covers the whole earth. In other places, Isaiah has used “darkness” to refer to ignorance and idolatry. It ought to have been confined to the world outside Israel’s borders. The light of God’s presence, reflected by Israel’s obedience to God’s law, should have kept it at bay. It should even have penetrated it like a beacon of hope to the world. Instead, Israel welcomed the darkness into itself, and Isaiah warned that the consequence would be exile from the light of God’s presence into the darkness of the surrounding nations.
Still, God promises to right their failure and re-gather Israel’s scattered children. The restoration of Israel and the joyful submission of the nations to God will take place together. The unleashed glory of God has a gravity that will draw the exiled and their neighbors toward Zion, like water running uphill. “Arise, come to the open gates, for the Father is welcoming you.” This hope isn’t just for the ones who stuck it out in the city. It’s for the lost and wandering too. If you find yourself there, may this song turn your heart toward the Father who has already opened the door for you.
God will turn this ragged crowd into a new people. He will feed and shelter them, and he will dwell with them. In his presence even the sun won’t shine, because the Lamb will be all the light that we need (Rev. 21:23). The fact that we are here shows that he has been keeping this promise. I hope this song will help your heart long for the rest of its fulfillment!
-Justin