Light of the World
The Season of Advent looks forward to the coming of Christ, preceding Christmas celebrations, and looking forward to the return of Jesus again.
Also during these winter nights at a similar time, is the Jewish festival of Hanukkah - Festival of Lights. This celebrated a miracle and a victory. It commemorates the rededication of the Temple in 165 BC by the Maccabees after its desecration.
To light the Temple Menorah holy oil was required but there wasn`t enough. and would take 8 days to prepare. The miracle was that the little oil they had found enabled the candles to remain lit for the 8 days. - A miracle! It is marked by the successive kindling of eight lights each evening.
This Eight Section Reflection looks at LIGHT and its significance. Come, Step into the Light and hear what God says to us.
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness.”
Genesis 1: 1-4
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When God created the universe, He used light to dispel darkness and chaos that was over the earth. Then He created the lights in the sky… sun, moon, and stars. Since He is light and the source of light, He only had to speak for the light to come into being. Light is a symbol for goodness and righteousness. Darkness signifies evil and sin.
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If you light a match and hold it up against a wall, you’d see a shadow of the matchstick but not the flame. Light has no shadow. Light is the character of God. He is not a light; He is the light itself. God is light, which means He is perfectly holy.
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Our personal sin acts as darkness, hinders our prayers and separates us from God. Sin destroys our intimacy with Him. This is the reason we need a Saviour. Jesus carried the sins of the world to the cross. He was the ultimate sacrificial lamb. Through His death and resurrection, our relationship with God is restored.
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
1 John 1:5
Prayer May the Lord open our eyes to see the glorious Light before us.
Reflect
We live in the reality that there is both light and darkness around us at all times. This world has both good and evil, right and wrong. We must grow in both our acceptance of this reality and our pursuit of the light, allowing God to shape us into those who shun darkness, become fully known to God, and allow his light to transform us into reflections of his Son.
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Take time prayerfully to open your heart to Father God and reflect on this biblical principle of light and dark. What shadows are you aware of? What areas of your life have yet to be fully illuminated, healed, set free, and empowered by God? Where do you need God’s grace, truth, and help in choosing light over darkness?
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Note prayerfully those areas within ourselves that require illumination and change. Allow Scripture to fill you with a desire to seek the light of God in all things. Ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate the places in your life he longs to heal and find grace, rest, and forgiveness in His loving presence.
for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Ephesians 5:14
I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them.
Isaiah 42:16
Have courage to pray for His Light to shine in your life
Give thanks that He will lead, guide and protect
“ For you were once darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of light ”
Ephesians 5:8
With light, we can move around obstacles and see the path before us.. God’s light gives us spiritual sight and understanding. He enables us to see far enough ahead to take the next steps forward. He lights our path enough to continue forward, even if it is just one step at a time.
Reflect
On your calling to live in the Light.
“You are the light of the world. A city set
on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14
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“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14
Reflect: What does living as Light look like?
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Enjoy the light of God’s love, peace, and goodness. Find satisfaction in who He is and how deeply He cares for you
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:9
“May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you
to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain
of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we
have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Colossians 1:11-14
Prayer
Use the Colossians verses to pray
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Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:2
The Magi followed the Light however difficult their journey. Jesus, the Light of the World has come.
The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”
Matthew 4:16
The Magi set off on their intrepid journey with expectancy and hope assured they were being led by the Star. Knowing the complete story, we might think that nearing Jerusalem, they were distracted as their reasoning took over and they expected a baby born in a palace. While the star was God’s revelation to the Magi, the baby Jesus was God’s greatest revelation to the entire world. He came to save all mankind!! Others too would be distracted by their expectation of how He would be King, but scripture reveals His way.
A lack of light means that there is visual or spiritual impairment.
To walk in darkness is to stumble along or live and act according to ignorance, error, sin, even blindness.
Light is associated with truth, in that it exposes whatever exists… both the good and the bad. We cannot hide our sins from God.
He knows and sees all. Because He longs for our fellowship, He brings sin to our attention and convicts us so that we may confess it. His forgiveness has no bounds and is freely given.
Reflect
What have you been called to? How well have you followed? Have their been distractions? Is your expectancy, in line with God`s light?
Those committed to following Jesus, are being led by him into the light. He is constantly beckoning us away from the darkness of this world and calling us to a life cantered around him and His kingdom.
Prayer
Turn your heart completely toward Jesus and focus your attention on Him. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into a fresh encounter with the Saviour.
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I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
John 8:12
Those committed to following Jesus, are constantly being led by Him into the light. He constantly beckons us away from the darkness of this world and calling us to a
life cantered around him and his kingdom.
Your sun shall no more go down,
nor your moon withdraw itself;
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your days of mourning shall be ended.
Isaiah 60:20
Jesus made His declaration, at the Feast of Tabernacles. During this time the Temple Lights were a magnificent spectacle said to illuminate the City of Jerusalem. like they did at Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication.
Traditionally a Hanukkah Menorah will be in the window for all to see the light, Especially during the winter darkness, an opportunity to remark to any who will listen how the beauty of those lights reminds us of the One who truly is the Light of the world..
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth."
Isaiah 49:6b
For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6
Reflect
How prominent is God in the window of our lives so that all may see our faith and hope clearly.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
Psalm 27:1
Prayer: To have courage to be a strong, bold light.
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"There were shepherds ..., keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord."
Luke 2:8-11
Luke`s story of Jesus birth revealed the glory of the heavenly host as they announced to ordinary shepherds a message that was for the whole world, Jew and Gentile. The glory of the Lord . . suggests the Shekinah, or cloud of intolerable brightness, which was the divine presence in the Tabernacle and the Temple
(See 1 Kings 8:10-11 or Isaiah 6:1-31) There had not been a manifestation to such men as these. What had been the privilege of patriarchs and priests was granted to shepherds, and the first proclamation of the glad tidings was to those who were poor in their outward life. It was something to celebrate - far more than a candle on a birthday cake!
Reflect
To be fully loved, is to be fully known. To live in secrecy before God, people, and ourselves is to live in darkness. We are made to be fully known, open and vulnerable. It’s only in the place of living fully known that we can truly receive the depths of God’s love for us. It’s being fully known that we discover who we really are and the immensity of our need for God and have freedom to be used by Him.
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom
shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1
Reflect on the importance of being fully known. Are their areas in your life that you keep hidden in the dark? What does that do to your heart? Think about the wonders of being both fully known and fully loved.
Prayer
For a fresh encounter with the Glory of the Lord.
To be open and real with Him, choosing to open up those areas of darkness in your life for His Glory to illuminate.
“For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.” Luke 8:17
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For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.
Luke 2:32-33
Simeon waited at the Temple for the fulfilment of God`s promise to see the Messiah.. Simeon lived his life in anticipation and had waited a long time, but God was and is faithful to His word. This was the child he and all the world had been waiting for.
Simeon is described as “righteous and devout” (Luke 2:25) which gave him hope in Christ..
He was living expectantly. He was “looking for the consolation of Israel” (2:25). and he lived by the power of the Holy Spirit which is mentioned 3 times (v.25-27) His reward was to see and understand allowing him to prophecy and to die at peace.
Reflect
How might you develop an expectant hope?
Can you receive peace and joy whatever your circumstances? How might you experience more of the Holy Spirit?
Prayer
For eyes to see, and ears to hear.
For openness to the Holy Spirit revealing and illuminating His promises to you and the world.
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The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness, and
the darkness can never extinguish it.
John 1:4-5 New Living Translation
A candle flickers and goes out. A lightbulb pops and darkness descends. Power is cut, and lights go out. All lights that we know, eventually dim and go out over time — all lights except one: Jesus! He is the Light that keeps shining. The forces of darkness can't snuff out His light or hide his radiant glory. Jesus' light is as inextinguishable as it is unfathomable. This Light, full of grace and glory, keeps shining. Nothing can stop him from shining. No one can put out his life-giving hope. No darkness can defeat our Light.
The reason the light will triumph over the darkness is that it is life. It is living light.
First, the light of life has energy and power because the life of the Son has energy and power.
Second, the light of life has purpose and motion. It is not static like a lamppost or a lighthouse on the shore. It plans and moves. It shines here, now there. It is alive with the life of the Son..
Third, the light of life grows and expands. That is the way the life of the Son of God is. His life is a fountain of life (Psalm 36:9) Once it starts shining it extend farther and farther. Fourth, the light of life has offspring. (john 12:36) "Believe in the light, that you may become sons of the light."
Reflect
Jesus Christ, the light of the world has entered into the darkness of evil and unbelief and lostness and death, and this darkness does not overcome Jesus. That makes such a difference to us, hosting His Light. Light triumphs!
So, let's walk in this Light and find life in the radiance of his glow!
Prayer
Father, forgive for the times I strayed away from your will. I am sorry that on each of those occasions I pushed Jesus and the light of his grace and truth away from me. Forgive me for not living my life in the light of Jesus, seeking his truth, and wanting His will to guide my steps.
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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"
John 1:4-5
Finally we return to light. Imagine when light burst forth to overwhelm darkness in creation. Imagine God saying "Let there be light." and light bursts forth to overwhelm the darkness.
A blind person gaining their sight could say "I never knew that red was so vibrant; the grass so green, the sun sets so beautiful;" Seeing life in its full, bright, technicolour magnificence. In Jesus we have the embodiment of both life and light.
Reflect
Picture total darkness in your minds-think about the fear and the anxiety that comes with being in the dark. We take for granted that dawn will come, or even that a lightbulb will work. The coming of Jesus Christ into the world was the dawning of a new day of life and light for humanity.
Prayer
Give thanks with a grateful heart, for His Light that has opened the eyes of the blind, and set us on smooth paths with light to see ahead, because we are led by Him, comforted and loved, empowered and protected.
"I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.”
Isaiah 42:16
For Further Reflection
For further personal reflection on the Light, read the story of preparation of the Wise and Foolish maidens. Matthew 25:1-13.
Are you ready? How might you be better prepared? Seek God as to what He is calling you to do and be.
You may also like to read more about Hanukkah - the Jewish Celebration and Dedication of Light