The Rt. Rev. Nicholas Knisely, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island, previously served as a priest in Delaware, Western and Eastern Pennsylvania, and as dean of the cathedral in Phoenix, AZ.  He earned undergraduate degrees in physics and astronomy at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Penn., studied at the University of Delaware in cosmology and solid-state physics, then earned his theological degrees from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. He is the author of several books including Lent Is Not Rocket Science: An Exploration of God, Creation, and the Cosmos.

“Lighten Our Darkness, Lord Jesus,” Knisely’s sermon for Dec. 8, is drawn from Matthew 3:1-12, in which we are introduced to a fierce John the Baptist, and the comforting vision of the peaceable kingdom in Isaiah 11:1-10. He says, “It was on a mild early December day, when I was serving a church in Bethlehem, Pa., America’s Christmas city, that I had an epiphany that suddenly helped me make sense of the tension between joy at the coming of the King and the need to soberly prepare for the coming of Jesus in the clouds.”

Hosted by Peter Wallace “Day 1” is a nationally broadcast ecumenical radio program that has broadcast every week for over 74 years. Formerly known as “The Protestant Hour” this program features outstanding preachers from the mainline denominations, and is currently distributed to more than 200 radio stations across America and overseas. The program is produced by the Alliance for Christian Media, based in Atlanta.

Access this program online at Day1.org and via podcast. For more information contact Peter Wallace or Ethel Ware Carter.