Tag Archives: The Light of the World

Lights Removing the Shadows

Living in the Spirit

August 26, 2021

Scripture Reading:
James 1:17-27

Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfilment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls. –James 1:17-21

The scripture above is the only one I could find in the NRSV version of the Bible that calls God the Father of lights. Genesis tells us that God was the creator of light. The book of John describes and emphasizes Jesus as the Light of the World. God’s lights allow for no shadows—no gray areas.

We often find ourselves hiding in the shadows of our world. We do not want to acknowledge what we see but do not want to see. Isaiah 6:9 records God instructing Isiah to ‘Go and say to this people:

“Keep listening, but do not comprehend; keep looking, but do not understand.” Matthew 13 reports Jesus quoting Isaiah’s message and then saying to his disciples,  But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.

Perhaps it is human nature to hide in the shadows. However, in times like we live in today, we must not only see what God is calling us to see, but we must also respond as conduits of God’s light to the world.

Prayer: Help us, O Lord, let our light shine as a reflection of your light. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

The Light of Love

Lent

March 14, 2021

Scripture Reading: John 3:14-21

‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgement, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.’ –John 3:17-21

“You can’t understand someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” –Anonymous

Part of Jesus’s assignment in his sojourn on earth was to experience what it was like being human. He was first introduced to the trials and tribulations of humanness when he was confronted with worldly temptations.  He wandered in the wilderness for 40 days following his baptism. Being fully human and fully divine was indeed a challenge. I remember years ago, a Star Trek show involving the character Q, who was cast as a relatively uninhibited all-powerful entity who was forced for a time to function in the world without his superpowers. He was accustomed to zapping anything that infringed on his desires, and for a time, he lost that power. He did not handle life situations well during that time, as I recall. 

Jesus came as God with us limited only by the power of love. Everything done in the name of God must be done in love. With a fuller understanding of what it meant to be human, Jesus realized that God’s people needed more light to open their eyes to the advantages of living in God’s love. His death on the cross and subsequent resurrection was the source of that light.

There are times in our lives now when Christ-followers are caught in the darkness as the world can overcome us, but we have the promise that Christ has overcome the world. We merely need to turn around and see that the light of God’s love in the life, death, and resurrection of God’s Son, Jesus the Christ, can illuminate our path.

In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world! –John 16:33

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we turn away from the light of your love. We thus get lost in the darkness of the world ourselves. Remind us that you sent us to be the light of the world. Empower us with your love so that we can spread your vision of a world ruled by love to the ends of the earth. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

The Beginning

Jesus’ Ministry
January 19, 2019

Scripture Reading: John 2:1-11

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’
–John 2:1-5

I understand that mother birds feed their hatch-lings at first near the center of the nest gradually drawing them closer to the edge as they bring food holding it in their beaks until the baby comes to get it. Eventually the fledgling reaches the edge of the nest and takes its first flight. Some may even require a gentle push from the mother to make the leap from walking to flying. And so, it also goes with humans. The job of parenting is to prepare children for adulthood.

John never calls Mary by name. Even Jesus addresses her as “woman”. Is that to protect her privacy or to draw attention to the universal mother’s role, perhaps a little of both. John is traditionally recognized as Mary’s caretaker following the crucifixion.

There is something else occurring in this scripture, Mary serves as a reference to her neighbors and friends that her son is one to trust. A good reference goes along way in helping one get his or her first job. My mother’s reputation got me my first job. One of her coworkers was having difficulty finding child care for her children over the summer and my Mom said I have a 16-year-old daughter that could do that, and I was hired. Gaining that experience and a good reference from the co-worker helped me get my second job the next summer as a nurse’s aide in a nursing home.

Isn’t that how we still spread the good news about Jesus today by word of mouth and being trustworthy ourselves, so others will be more apt to seek their own relationship with God?

Prayer: Lord, help me to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth you have called me to be. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.