The light of the world

Published 8:55 am Friday, December 15, 2023

I went to see some of the light displays this past week with the young disabled man I take care of. It is fun to be with someone who is very childlike when it comes to things like that! We both appreciated the light displays in one of the neighborhoods close to us, as well as the amazing Flower’s Baking Christmas light extravaganza. What a blessing to our community! The darkness surrounding the Christmas displays only made the lights more noticeable.

I decided to stay up this past Wednesday night to hopefully see the meteor shower that was supposed to be seen best from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m. I am normally in bed but decided since this shower was supposed to have many meteors, I would go out and see. I have one area close to me that has no street lights so I walked to that area and waited. I was not disappointed. Within just a few minutes, one came racing across the sky at what seemed to be just over my head! I have seen them before but they seemed to be so much further away in the past. I stayed a little while longer, but my bed was beckoning me more than standing on the cold, dark road.

We are so spoiled here in this country where a majority of us have access to as much light as we are willing to pay for.

When the power goes off from a storm or for other reasons, we can hardly wait for it to come back on – especially if it is dark and hard to navigate without light.

I took an extended trip to Uganda one summer and part of the adventure was visiting my Ugandan friend’s relatives, many who lived without electricity or running water. One night we stayed with his aunt who had a pretty nice house but no water or electricity. Water had to be hauled from a well almost half a mile away for everything from cooking to bathing. What light we had was from our flashlights or kerosene lanterns and the fire out on the veranda. We were sitting by the fire and I was admiring the sky full of stars. It was as though you could almost reach up and touch that vast canopy that was so much more brilliant than any place I had ever been in the USA. It would be hard to describe just how vivid they were. No city lights to compete with or dull their beauty.

As I was pondering on what to write about this week, the lights came to mind. Of course I want to focus on the greatest light of all – the One who said, “I am the Light of the world.”

One of my favorite scenes in the life of Jesus is when the shepherds were out in their fields tending to their flocks when angels appeared to give them the news of Jesus’ birth. Some of the depictions of this scene are amazing – brilliant, blinding light announcing the Light of the world to them!

One subject the Bible has quite a lot to say about is light. Google states: “In the Bible, light has always been a symbol of holiness, goodness, knowledge, wisdom, grace, hope and God’s revelation.” There are volumes written on light. Most every religion and philosophy has their own thoughts about light. As a biblically based person, my beliefs and thoughts are in alignment with what the scriptures support. Jesus says of Himself, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5) However if we do not love the light, but rather the darkness, it is because of the condition of our hearts (our deeds are evil, we hate the light because we know that coming to the light will expose any darkness in us).

At the very beginning of the Bible, in Genesis, God begins the restoration of an earth that was in chaos. Holy Spirit began to hover over that chaos (without form and void, with darkness covering the earth). The very first thing God said was, “Let there be light, and there was light.” He said it was good and then separated or divided the light from the darkness.

The battle/contrast between light and darkness has been going on since the beginning of time. Mathew 5:14-16 states that “You (believers) are the light of the world, a city that is set on a hill which cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it gives light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” I like to think of us as a moon that reflects the light of the sun. We have the Light of the world living inside of us and the more we allow Him to live and shine through us the brighter we will appear. It is His glory, radiating through us that will ultimately cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (in other words, everywhere). Darkness cannot overcome the light, but light will always overcome the darkness. “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Cor. 4:6)

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9) “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (I John 1:5-7) Selah.

As we celebrate the birth of the Light of the world, our Savior, may we be a reflection of Him by letting His light shine in us and through us!