The Light that is Life

"The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were made through him. Nothing that has been made was made without him. Life was in him and that life was the light for all people."
John 1:1-4 (NIrV)

I don't want to forget that the purpose of this blog is to share the life that God is creating in us as a Deaf Church and Deaf community here in Belize, but for two days now I have been musing on a metaphor that is kind of bubbling out of me. So please bear with me as I explain.

The scripture I quoted above is the Gospel lesson for this Sunday. (It's also my father's favorite Bible verse.) "Jesus is life that is the light for all people". As I mulled over this sentence it made me think about the old Lite-Brite toy. The way it works is you put a black paper over a lighted peg board. The black paper effectively blocks all the light. If you pick up a colorful translucent peg and poke it through the paper, the light shines through the plastic peg.

That's how Jesus' light works. We are the pegs in a dark world. We are surrounded by darkness that tries to block the Light of God. When we plug into the Source of light and life, Jesus' light shines through us. That light breaks through the darkness and reveals something beautiful. That light gives life.

But as pegs, without the light, there is no life. The pegs in the boxes are just one of many other colorful pegs that are waiting for their opportunity to glow and be used in the picture. The pegs cannot shine by themselves.

The only way I truly shine is when it is the light of Jesus that shines through me. Sometimes I allow my independent nature or my German roots to let me think I can do anything with hard work. But hard work, without the light of Jesus, is a misguided effort and in the end, just makes me tired. "In Him we live , move, and have our being." (Acts 17:28)

Jesus is the light, the one true light. When we glow with his light, it points to him. If we shine with His Light, we are part God's picture.

In another scripture that some churches will read this week, we see that Isaiah prophesied that a new day will dawn. God's glory will fill the earth. The great picture will be completed.

People of Israel, get up!
Shine because your light has come.
My glory will shine on you
Isaiah 60:1

I want to be part of that picture. This is the opportunity we have been waiting for. We can shine. So get up! Our Light has come.