The Cleansing, Life-giving Light
Scripture Reading — John 3:16-22
Live as children of light.
Ephesians 5:8
There’s something about the darkness that we don’t like. “Things that go bump in the night” frighten us. But there’s also something about the darkness that we do like. Darkness can keep others from seeing what we do. We human beings do things at night that we would never do during the day.
That’s why, as Jesus says, even though the light has come into our darkness, some choose to stay in the dark. They (we?) feel safer there, safer because their thoughts and acts won’t be exposed by the light.
Light disinfects; light exposes; light makes colors and shapes visible; light awakens our senses; light allows life to develop. Light and life are companions; darkness and death are allies.
We give thanks to the Father because he “rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,” the Son who is our light and our life (Colossians 1:13). Our thoughts, our words, our actions are now in the open for everyone to see and judge. We stand exposed so that the light might disinfect us, awaken us, display our remarkable colors. We now live in the light and as children of light; we shine in the darkness, exposing and cleansing and allowing life to grow.
It takes courage to come into the light, but that’s where we find life!
Grant us the courage, Lord, to come into your light and be disinfected and exposed. Take away all that is dark and shine the light of your life within us. Amen.
About the author — Harvey Stob
Rev. Harvey Stob and his wife, Audrey, served as missionaries in Argentina for eleven years. They then served churches in Cincinnati, Ohio; Ridgewood, New Jersey; and Ann Arbor, Michigan. Harvey retired from full-time pastoral work in 2009. He and Audrey have three children and seven grandchildren.
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