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Since
the beginning of creation light was viewed as being good.
“Let there be light
and there was light.
God saw that the light was good.”
It
is worth noting that it was God who determined the value of light.
Today
we celebrate the story of Epiphany. It is a glimmer of hope in the midst
of evil. Today we celebrate Epiphany. It is a story about astrologers
who saw the Star of Bethlehem not just as a very bright star, but as a
ray of hope in a world filled with tyranny, violence and oppression.
We
live in a world starving for hope. Unfortunately as we learned this past
week our hunger and thirst for hope causes us to be misled. Sometime we
receive false hope which is what the families of the coal miners trapped
in the mine did.
The
Star of Bethlehem was not heralding false hope. John the Baptist crying
in the wilderness,
"Prepare the way of
the Lord"
was not a
message of false hope.
You
find it odd that Mark says nothing of Jesus’ birth. Mark starts with the
prophecy of John and the baptism of Jesus.
Mark’s
reason is that he was writing a gospel for the Romans, particularly the
Roman Christians. In Jesus’ day Roman officials were always preceded by
an announcer or herald. When they heard the cry of the herald they knew
someone of prominence would soon arrive. Romans would have been less
interested in the birth of Jesus and more interested in the messenger
announcing or heralding the good news of the coming of the messiah.
John’s
message was not ignored. Much of the world was ruled by oppressive
regimes, cruel tyrants and immoral behavior. While today’s world may
have less oppressive regimes and cruel tyrants I feel we have plunged to
new depth with regards to immoral behavior. The recent show The Book of
Daniel flaunts the depths our society has sunk to when it comes to
immorality. It reveals a society that has allowed the darkness of sexual
immorality, idolatry, hatred, selfish ambition, dissension, and
addictions cast the shadow of horrible darkness.
Our
only hope is to turn to Jesus, the light of the world.
John
wrote:
“In the beginning
was the Word,
and the Word was with God and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
Through Him all things were made;
without Him nothing was made that has been made.
In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.
The light shines in the darkness,
but the darkness has not understood it.”
Literally
this means that the darkness of evil has and never will over come or
extinguish God’s light.
Jesus
Christ is the True Light. He helps us see our way to God and shows us
how to walk along the way.
Follow
the light
Jesus
said,
“I am the light of
the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life.”
Jesus
was speaking in the part of the temple where offerings were put, where
candles burned to symbolize the pillar of fire that led the people of
Israel through the desert. In this context Jesus calls himself the light
of the world. The pillar of fire represented God’ presence, protection,
and guidance. Jesus brings God’s presence, protection and guidance. Is
He the light of your world?
Psalm 119:105
“Your word is a lamp to my
feet
and a light to my path.”
Last
Wednesday night I told the confirmation class to ask their parents to
drive home without turning the car’s head lights on. My request was
received with great protest. One of the youth said, “That would be
crazy.” Not as crazy as attempting to live life without the light of the
world, Jesus.
Jesus
said,
“I am the light of
the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life.”
What
does it mean to follow Christ?
When
we follow Jesus, the true light, we can avoid walking blindly and
falling into sin. He lights the path ahead of us so we can see how to
live. He removes the darkness of sin form our lives. Do you allow the
light of Christ to shine into your life?
Point
to the light
We,
like John the Baptist, are not the source of God’s light. We merely
reflect the light. Jesus has chosen to reflect His light through you and
me.
We
hide our light by:
Being quiet when we
should speak
Going along with the crowd
Denying the light
Letting sin dim our light
Not explaining our light to others
Ignoring the needs of others.
Be
the light
Jesus
said,
“You are the light
of the world.
A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put
it on its stand
and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before men,
that they may see your good deeds
and praise your Father in heaven.”
(Matthew 5:14-16)
If
we live for Christ, we will glow like lights showing others what Christ
is like. In the midst of darkness, you and I must be the glimmer of
hope.
What
kind of influence are we having on others? Do our lives encourage faith
in the Savior, or do we cause others to doubt?
Your life either
sheds light or casts a shadow.
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AMEN |
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