At the very beginning of our faith story is light: “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.”
All throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, light is a symbol of God’s presence. God first appeared to Moses in a burning bush—a bush filled with light. When the Israelites fled from Pharaoh in Egypt, it was light that led them through the wilderness to the Promised Land. The text says that God went before them as a pillar of could by day and a pillar of fire by night.
All throughout the prophetic texts, light is a sign of hope.
It was the light of a star that led the magi from the east to find the Christ child in Bethlehem. And later, Jesus himself says, “I am the light of the world.”
In the gospel according to John, Jesus and his disciples are in Jerusalem for the Festival of Booths which is also known as the Festival of Tabernacles. It was a festival that celebrated the light of God that led the Israelites through the wilderness and light was a huge part of that celebration. 4 large lampstands were lit in the temple courtyard, and they produced so much light that there was not a courtyard in Jerusalem that didn’t reflect their light. Those celebrating danced with flaming torches, adding even more light. A city usually in darkness was illuminated in light. And to those celebrating, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’
It is one of the “I AM” saying that are found only in John. “I Am the bread of life, living water, light of the world…” Bread, light, water are elements that meet our basic needs—and Jesus uses them to say, “I am ultimately what you need.”
While the pillar of God’s fire led the people of Israel and the light of the Tabernacles festival illuminated Jerusalem, Jesus tells them that he is meant to be light for the entire world.
An interesting thing about light…the primary function of light is not to be seen, but to let things be seen as they are. In fact, it illuminates things so well that sometimes too much light can feel harsh. If I am having company, I might not turn my light up too much—or it might illuminate the dust on my baseboards and possibly even cobwebs that might be up in the corners. Though instead of turning down the lights, it would probably be better to actually acknowledge and clean out the dust and cobwebs.
The same is true for the light of Christ. It illuminates everything…the path that leads to God, the way to treat others, the God-light in others, but it also illuminates the things that aren’t so easy or nice to see…the stuff inside each of us that we don’t like to look at, the difficult choices ahead of us as we step onto the path that God lays before us. It can be a difficult thing to step out of the darkness and into the light.
And yet we need light for our very survival. We need darkness to help us sleep, but we need light to live. Thanks to electricity and the light bulb, we are quite disconnected from our dependence on natural light. Unlike our ancestors, we can work into the night, long after the sun has gone down. But our invention of artificial light has not changed our biological need for natural light. In fact, Seasonal Affective Disorder is a medically recognized mood disorder that occurs in some people during the dark months of the year. And it is often treated by “light therapy”. There is a device that can be used to for light therapy, but one study found that an hour’s walk in winter sunlight was as effective as two and a half hours under bright artificial light. Pediatricians encourage giving vitamins to infants because they are not exposed to a sufficient amount natural light necessary for their bodies to produce enough vitamin D. We need light for our very survival.
In the gospel according to Matthew, Jesus tells his disciples, ‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” But this was not a light they generated. It was a light lit from God, not for their own sakes, but for the sake of the world.
Like the magi from the East, we are followers of the light. We continue to look for it and follow it, not knowing where it will lead. But, like the disciples, we are also bearers of the light. We are constantly searching for the light and carrying it at the same time.
Part of what it means to follow the light of Christ means facing our own darkness. It means being willing to see things clearly and honestly. To follow the light of Christ, we have to be willing to have our own dust and cobwebs revealed.
Bearing the light of Christ means turning and facing back into the darkness of the world. Chris Rice has a song called, “Go Light Your World”. Listen to some of the lyrics:
There is a candle in every soul
Some brightly burning, some dark and cold
There is a Spirit who brings a fire
Ignites a candle and makes His home
So carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the helpless, confused and torn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Frustrated brother, see how he's tried to
Light his own candle some other way
See now your sister, she's been robbed and lied to
Still holds a candle without a flame
So Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the lonely, the tired and worn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Cause We are a family whose hearts are blazing
So let's raise our candles and light up the sky
Praying to our Father, in the name of Jesus
Make us a beacon in darkest times
So Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the helpless, deceived and poor
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
One of the things that strikes me most in this song is the line that says, “Carry your candle, run to the darkness.” I’m not afraid of the dark, but I don’t like to hang out in it either. I don’t know about you, but when I enter a dark place, I turn on the light—or search around carefully with a flashlight. The idea of running to the darkness is a little uncomfortable—and yet, I think he’s right. I think that is what we are called to do.
I have a favorite quote that says this: “A lighted candle is a sign of protest. It says to the darkness, “I beg to differ.” That is what the light of Christ did. He came into a dark world saying, “I beg to differ.” and showing another way. And that is what we are called to do as well.
But there is a big difference between letting your light shine and shining your light in someone’s face. When light appears in a dark room, it is not hard to find the source. The way in which Jesus lived made the source of his light obvious and that is what we are called to do too. We are called to live in such a way that the light of God shines in and through us.
The amazing thing about light is that it can be shared without being diminished. Buddhist quote that says, “Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” The same is true with the light of faith. Sharing your light, your hope and faith and joy, doesn’t shorten their life—it only increases the illumination of the light in the world.
The magi from the East followed a star in the sky to find the Christ-child. But here in Atlanta, it is almost impossible to see any stars and so we must find the light of Christ some other way. So we turn to Scripture to light our path. We gather in community, seeking out the God-light in one another. And we gather at the table where we are illuminated by the “Light of the World” and then sent back out to bear light into the world.