Let There Be Light!

Posted On November 29, 2020

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

John 1:1-5 NIV

My granddaughter, who is not quite two years old (and is still learning to pronounce beginning consonants), loves lights. She points out all the light fixtures and lamps in every room exclaiming, ‘ight! ‘ight! She often insists that the lights be turned on, even if she is about to take a nap, crying, ‘ight! ‘ight! We just set up our Christmas tree and she ran to it, excitedly pointed at each small lit bulb, and gave her usual proclamation: ‘ight! ‘ight! Even at her young age, she recognizes that there is something special about light. It’s magical and full of wonder. It just makes you feel good. I don’t think it’s a coincidence we have a natural inclination to feel drawn to the light. I think God designed it that way.

“And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.” 

Genesis 1:3-4 NIV

God spoke the universe into existence beginning with light, and He declared the light to be good. The opening verses of John’s Gospel explain that Jesus is that Word through which all things were made and in Him is the light of all mankind. So it’s very fitting that our celebration of the coming of Jesus includes light. Baptist minister Deron Spoo, in his book The Bible in 10 Words, begins with “The First Word: LIGHT.” He explains that as God spoke his first command in creation, “Let there be light,” He not only created the photons that began speeding through space, He also laid down the laws that govern all creation — both physical and spiritual. He created the universe with loving care as a gift for us to enjoy.

God created us to live in paradise in perfect communion with Him, but He also gave us the power to choose to turn away from Him. When Adam and Eve chose to disobey God’s command, sin entered the world. Sin entered them. Sin entered us. Darkness entered God’s perfect light-filled creation. But God had a plan. He sent Jesus, the Incarnation of God Himself, to Earth to redeem us from sin and restore us to perfect fellowship with Him. But we still have the power to choose. We can turn away or we can embrace God’s gift.

“Adam and Eve had the choice — to stay in the light or step into darkness. Now our choice is like theirs only reversed: to stay in the darkness or be led into the light.”

Deron Spoo, The Bible in 10 Words

As Christians, we have chosen to live in the light. So what does this mean? Deron Spoo refers us to Paul’s instructions in Ephesians:

“In the past you were full of darkness, but now you are full of light in the Lord. So live like children who belong to the light. Light brings every kind of goodness, right living, and truth. Try to learn what pleases the Lord.”

Ephesians 5:8-10 NCV

Paul advises us to live like children of the light, embracing goodness, righteousness, and truth. Rev. Spoo includes practical steps we can take to adopt these virtues into our lifestyle:

• We can share the goodness God has given us by blessing everyone He places in our path. We can reflect the light of Christ to everyone we meet. As Rev. Spoo points out, “The same Jesus who says to us, ‘I am the light of the world,’ (John 8:12; 9:5) says of us, ‘You are the light of the world,’ (Matthew 5:14).”
• We can let the inner peace we have through a right relationship with God flow outward into our relationships with those around us. God treats us better than we deserve, and He calls us to do the same for others. Rev. Spoo directs us to the words of John: “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness” (1 John 2:9 NIV).
• We can embrace the truth about God as made clear to us through what we know about Jesus: He heals us, He is patient, and He is living. We are valuable, and we are not alone. Each sunrise reminds us that we can trust God with every aspect of our lives. Rev. Spoo points us to Psalm 143:8 as reassurance of this: “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life” (NIV).

“We shine with goodness toward others, with a passion for relating rightly to God, and with a commitment to truth wherever truth leads us.”

Deron Spoo, The Bible in 10 Words

Every year at church we have an evening Christmas candlelight service. When it’s time for it to begin, everyone is warned that all the lights are about to be turned off. Parents are instructed to make sure children are prepared for the dark. The ushers hand out candles. A hush begins to fall over the sanctuary. Everyone gets settled and still. Finally, the lights are extinguished and an unsettling darkness fills the church. As the opening Scriptures are spoken, everyone’s eyes begin to adjust to the dark. And then suddenly, a lone candle is lit. A single flame is enough to fill the room with a warm, comforting glow and chase away the gloom. Then the ushers light their candles from the one and spread the light to others who, in turn, pass it on to those near them. Soon the entire sanctuary is filled with light, the light of each member shining brightly. It’s absolutely beautiful. And it’s an object lesson that reminds us that we are called to shine. In a world filled with darkness, it only takes a single flame to chase away the gloom and bring comfort and warmth to those around us.

“The Bible ends as it begins — with light. Light existed before the advent of sun, moon, or stars. Likewise, long after our sun exhausts its energy and the moon’s orbit decays and all the stars go supernova, light will still exist.”

Deron Spoo, The Bible in 10 Words

The book of Revelation describes a new heaven, a new earth, and “the Holy City, the new Jerusalem” (Rev. 21:1-2 NIV). In Revelation 21:23 (NIV) we are told, “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.” The light of God’s glory is more brilliant than the sun. It will illuminate our heavenly home. In The Weight of Glory, C. S. Lewis explores our attraction to the light:

“This brings me to the other sense of glory — glory as brightness, splendour, luminosity. We are to shine like the sun, we are to be given the Morning Star. I think I begin to see what it means. In one way, of course, God has given us the Morning Star already: you can go and enjoy the gift on many fine mornings if you get up early enough. What more, you may ask, do we want? Ah, but we want so much more . . . . We do not want merely to see beauty, though, God knows, even that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words — to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it. . . . At present we are on the outside of the world, the wrong side of the door. We discern the freshness and purity of morning, but they do not make us fresh and pure. We cannot mingle with the splendours we see. But all the leaves of the New Testament are rustling with the rumour that it will not always be so. Some day, God willing, we shall get in.”

C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

In John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (NIV). This is the light we celebrate at Christmastime. As we drive by and see lights on houses, as we look through windows and see lights on trees, may we be reminded of the Light of the world who came to bring us the light of life. May we be joyous and excited, exclaiming with the exuberance of a toddler, ‘ight! ‘ight!

“The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.”

Isaiah 9:2 NIV

This week’s Scripture passages are all about light. There is a printer-friendly pdf version below the image. I have also posted a video of the song “I Saw the Light,” created by the worship team of Christ Community Church in Memphis, Tennessee. As this song reminds us, in Jesus we have no more darkness, no more night. . . . Praise the Lord, I saw the light!

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

References:

• “I Saw The Light – C3 Worship.” YouTube, uploaded by C3 Memphis, 26 May 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=XA8GXFev5CM.
• Lewis, C. S. A Year with C. S. Lewis: Daily Readings from His Classic Works, edited by Patricia S. Klein, HarperSanFrancisco, 2003.
• Spoo, Deron. The Bible in 10 Words: Unlocking the Message of Scripture and Connecting with God. Worthy, 2020.

Images:

• Lights featured image by Tomislav Jakupec from Pixabay
• Big Bang image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
• Christmas Star 1 image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
• Candles image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
• Christmas Star 2 image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
• Winter image by Angela Rose from Pixabay