Light and Darkness

John 8:12 And Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Here in interior Alaska, light and darkness have very tangible meaning. While the darkness creeps in beginning in June, it doesn’t really become noticeable until around September. The darkness rapidly overshadows the light and dominates the hours of the day. Awake in darkness, work in darkness, breathe a sigh of relief for a couple of short hours, then back home in darkness, asleep in darkness and the cycle begins again. Darkness has long been a metaphor for sin, chaos, all that is corrupt and broken in the world. And this metaphor is more real, for myself, living in a land that is dominated by either light or darkness.

Sin creeps in to our lives. It isn’t noticeable at first. A little bit here, a little bit there and we feel like we can deal with it. As corrupt human beings, living in a world that has been broken by sin, we become addicted to sin in all of it’s tangible grip. That darkness rapidly takes over and we find that we live most of our lives in darkness and sin. And those few short hours of light, perhaps that is on Sunday, when we spend time in God’s house, in worship.

Jesus said that He is the light of the world. In the Gospel of John, John says that the darkness can not overcome the light, understand the light or comprehend the light. The light is mysterious and wonderful, even in the midst of the darkness there is light.

The Aurora Borealis, the Northern lights, are the perfect metaphor for that mysterious light in the midst of the darkness. Here in Alaska, those lights are wondrous. In the coldest months, in the darkest months, the green, purple, red curtains of light dance across the sky. It’s as if God Himself is sending a physical, and yet very spiritual reminder of His eternal presence. Jesus uses words, “I am the light of the world.” Look to me, he says, and you will not spend your days in darkness.

Just as the darkness crept in from summer to winter, so too the light creeps in from winter to summer. Beginning in December, the light comes back. Slowly at first, but then seemingly more rapidly as the spring break up approaches. You begin to notice light as you sit at the breakfast table and that you can still see the sky after dinner. The light has returned and the joy with it.

Jesus is the light of life. Jesus is the light of joy. Jesus is the light of hope. Come June, the sun shines nearly twenty-four hours at a time. The sun warms the earth and the vegetables grow to record sizes. It is a foretaste of the eternal sunshine of the heavenly kingdom, I think. Only then, Jesus will be the sun and the Son.

For those who are struggling in the darkness, myself included, Jesus is the hope for light. Jesus is the only hope for light. Even in the midst of the physical darkness, hold on. Don’t let the darkness of night or the darkness of sin bring you to despair. Hold on. The light is coming and has now come. “The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light!” Isaiah 9:2.

Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Son to be the light of the world, the light of life. Help us in the darkness to see the light. By the Holy Spirit, help us to share the light of life, Jesus, with those who still sit in darkness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Less is More

John 3:30 John said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Have you heard the phrase “less is more”? We use it in reference to food and spiciness and when we talk about our daughter putting on make-up. Less is more. Understated is better than flamboyant. Less activity can lead to more productivity. The less we are busy with the more we can concentrate on what we are doing. Less is more.

John the Baptist was talking with the Pharisees about Jesus. Jesus had begun to increase his ministry with gathering disciples and baptizing people. The Pharisees were challenging John and wondering what he thought about this new guy who seemed to be eclipsing his own ministry. And John’s simple response is: That’s the way it should be. John knew that his own ministry wasn’t about him. It was about Jesus. And now that Jesus was here, John needed to become the supporting role and eventually fade into the background. “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

It is the prayer of most preachers, I suspect. Jesus, this is all about you. May I fade into the background so that you are brought to the foreground. Our humanness fights against that, though because we always want the attention on us. We long for the spotlight so that people notice us and validate that we exist as humans. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be noticed and loved and appreciated. But all too quickly it becomes all about us. Everything we do, good and bad, becomes an attempt to draw attention to ourselves.

John wasn’t being self-deprecating. He wasn’t trying to get the Pharisees to feel sorry for him so that he could get into their pity spotlight. He was following the plan that God had laid out for him. “Do your thing until my Son shows up and then, let him lead the way.”

Jesus lives in each of his baptized, called children. The prayer is that Jesus would increase in our lives and that our lives would fade into the background. Paul says that Jesus lives in each of us. It is no longer I who live but Christ living in me. (Galatians 2:20) Less of me, more of Jesus.

Heavenly Father, may our lives reflect your love. Our self-centered ways sometimes distract people from seeing Jesus living in us. May we decrease so that your Son may increase in us. Amen.