LIGHT EQUALS LIFE
Jn 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men
Don’t we all enjoy this season of colorful, bright lights that brighten our dark, cold, winter skies. I know that I do. Christmas lights have a warmth about them that brings a gentle glow into my heart. I used to, to be honest I still do, enjoy riding around observing the many different home displays of those lights. I enjoy them almost as much as I enjoy being able to look into the heavens exploring the celestial brightness of God’s handy work in His creation of the stars. Or as the old hymn states “when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds thy hands have made”, I’m struck by His immensity, and His concern for this small portion that creation.
When observing the twinkling lights of the stars I am also struck by the darkness, the blackness that surrounds those beacons of brightness. I begin to contemplate what is darkness. When as a child, my parents took the family to Linville Caverns. For a few dollars admission we were allowed to follow a young guide into a fairly large cave in the mountains of NC. Two things stand out in my mind about that visit. The first was when our sadistic guide got us down into the bowels of the earth and turned the lights out. That was a heavy blackness that I had never witnessed before…there was no light. The second vivid memory of that visit was the springs of water in the cavern which held some small fish. They swam peaceably in the cold mountain stream, living their lives with seemingly little concern about their condition. Living their lives underground with no light, their eyes had become useless, and they were totally blind and even when light was offered, they still could not see. Darkness is simply the absence of light and for millennia mankind lived in a type of spiritual darkness, some hoping for light to enter, but most spiritually blind and accepting of their blindness, content to live their lives swimming blindly, with no purpose, no anchor, no light. Missing the beauty of life itself.
A few years after the visit to Linville Caverns we visited Luray Caverns in Virginia. Luray is a much larger cavern than Linville and had more lighting shining throughout the tour. One was able to see the colors created by the mineral deposits that made up the stalagmites and stalactites of the cavern. It was only when light entered was the beauty exposed of what God had created.
We gather this morning to celebrate light which is life itself. Our faith is more than religion, more than mere traditions, but it is life. Our Jewish friends celebrate a holiday about this time each year called Hanukkah or The Festival of Lights, they’re celebrating a miracle that took place 2,000 years ago, we too celebrate a miracle that took place 2,000 years ago. We celebrate a miracle of light, when God allowed light to shine forth in a small stable in a town called Bethlehem. This light chases the darkness of men’s heart to flee and allows life to enter their being. But so many of us are like those fish in Linville Cavern, we like the darkness, we like to hide within ourselves, ignoring the light that can cleanse our souls. Not knowing that we are blind, we continue to live in that darkness.
Today we light the Christ Candle, this flame lights our hearts and He gives life. We leave this place in a few moments, but we carry that light within us. May you enjoy this day with your loved ones and may you celebrate the life that is in Christ.
Le Apprentice 