Thankful for the LIght!

Aren’t you thankful for light? I know I am. Especially this time of year as here in the U.S. Northeast the mornings are getting brighter and the days longer. It’s easier to get out of bed in the morning. More pleasant to walk the dog. And it’s so much better at the end of the day, giving opportunity to do more outdoor activities or at least not feel like it’s time to go bed right after dinner. 

I can’t imagine living in one of those places where they have up to 24 hours of darkness during their winter months. (Nor would I enjoy the 24 hours of daylight they receive during their summers!). I can’t even think about not seeing the sun rise. I can’t imagine having the sun go up and down in the horizon so quickly that the middle of the day is like the middle of the night. After all, light energizes us. Light gives life. Without light there can be no life. 

Today the church I pastor, Shrewsbury First Assembly, begins a Bible reading plan through the Gospel of John that will take us into Easter Sunday. This morning we began reading in John 1. It’s an amazing chapter that gives to us a cosmic perspective on Jesus’ coming into our world. John reveals for us Jesus as the One who was “with God in the beginning” and through whom “all things were made.”  And thinking about when all things were made—i.e., Genesis 1—John can’t help but refer to the very first thing God created, light! That is, into a dark, formless, and empty world came for the very first time light! (Genesis 1:2) 

With that thought in mind, the Apostle John wrote, “In him (Jesus) 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 1:4-5 – NIV) The picture John gives to us is of a world that was trapped in darkness—the darkness of sin and separation from God. But into that darkness there came a powerful light through the person of Jesus. And with that light came life. After all, where there is light there is always life! 

We all find ourselves at times feeling a bit overwhelmed by the darkness of the world in which we live—a world that is saturated with sin; a world that is separated from God; a world that can pour so much of its darkness upon us. But we are not without hope. Through the coming of Jesus into our world, light has broken in. And, as John notes, that light is more powerful than the darkness. Light has shined. Light is shining. The light of Jesus is overtaking the darkness and will one day once and for all dispel all darkness. 

Later on, as he looked into eternity, John wrote, “There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.” (Revelation 22:5) One day God’s light will once and for all overcome all darkness! That gives to me today, incredible hope!

So, let’s be thankful today for the light Jesus has brought into our lives. And let’s live our lives in his light and filled with his light!

Have a great day. 

- Pastor Tim Harris 

Here’s the link to our Bible reading plan, 31 Days in the Gospel of John. 

https://shrewsburyag.com/31days/