The Light of Love

The Light of Love

Good Morning Friends,

One of the great truths of the Bible is that God is our hope in times of trouble…in times of discouragement and great sadness and distress. Friends, during these times God is not angry with us but does require our patience. Sometimes it takes a long time to be healed of our blindness. In the beginning God said let there be light but still after generations and generations the people were still walking in the dark and getting people in a mess of trouble. There is a real danger to walking in the dark. So God gave Moses a light to help guide people but still death ruled. When the light is not strong and focused one cannot see the world as it truly is. Then Jesus came to illuminate our sin and to reveal a path to a better place. Yes, Jesus brings something better… The Light of Love.

Scripture: By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.

Exodus 13:21 (NIV)

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” 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 judgment, 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 3:16-21 (NRSV)

Sometimes it is hard. For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.

2 Corinthians 4:6-12 (NRSV)

¹⁵‘Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— ¹⁶the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.’

Matthew 4:15-16 (NRSV)

Revelation 21:6 (NIV)

Message: Word pairs in the Bible give direction to the text. Alpha and Omega, Light and Dark, Life and Death, Sadness and Joy. We see it in the poetry of the Bible. But there is also meaning in the sequence in even the smallest letter and the pen stroke. No, I am not a Hebrew scholar but there is more here than a skimming would reveal. So too in names of places. For example when it comes to towns, Nazareth means a shoot that produces fruit in Hebrew. Naphtali means struggle and Capernaum the home base of Jesus’ ministry, means village of comfort and compassion. The call to follow Jesus then was from a man from a place of Hopeful Possibility into the land of Struggle and settled into a place which means Village of Consolation and Compassion. Our text today confirms what we already know…there is darkness and struggle in the world. The message grows here for in the midst of a deep darkness there is a shoot of light. And it affirms that there is a light at the end of the tunnel that is filled with the compassion of community. Friends, sometimes the struggle in the darkness of depression and loneliness is so real and threatens to overwhelm hopeless people. Into this Jesus brings a light of life that shines as a sign of comfort and consolation and of hope. Friends, even in death there is this light at the end of the tunnel… and no it is not a train.

Pray we are not blinded by false gods. Pray the light of the glory of the Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, shine on in and through us. Pray we experience all there is to life in its fullness seen in the light of day. Pray that out of death come the light of life. Pray that Christ illuminate our life so that we might clearly see our spiritual condition. Pray we rejoice that God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and a light for our paths. Pray we realize that the Lord himself goes before us and will be with us and will never leave or forsake us and therefore we are not to be afraid or discouraged. Pray we are not in awe of death because Jesus has conquered it.

Blessings,

John Lawson