When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
With
it getting dark so early, I walk with a headband flashlight at least once a day. The official reason is that it makes me more visible to drivers.
The unofficial reason is so that I can see whatever craft I’m working on as I
walk. The thing is, though, light doesn’t just accomplish those tasks. It reveals at least a little of the world
around me. A driver may see my headlamp, but he’ll also see that I’m doing
something with my hands, that I’m looking down more than at him/her, and
(likely) that there’s a dog with me.
Jesus,
as the light of the world, reveals His presence. The very presence of His light
reveals the spiritual surroundings in which He is working and makes us more aware
of the ugliness and darkness in which we live.
If all were light and loveliness, no one would notice His light. It also
illuminates what He is working on with all of our flaws, wrinkles, and scars. Some
may suggest that He should be a softer light. But light’s purpose is to shine
and illuminate, not only so that God can work in our lives, but because that
light is the laser that does the work. People are the ones who try to impose
their goals on the light and control it.
There’s
another idea about light. As a photographer, it’s very hard to photograph
something that is uniform in color – black Crows, brown Pied-Billed Grebes, or white
Snowy Owls in low light. They come out as blobs of color. Given good but not
overpowering light, you can see the details – the black eye in the black face
and the gradations of colors. Sometimes, sunlight brings out iridescence and
beauty that one can’t see otherwise.
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