/var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/scratch21059/88263053.

doclast printed 15 January 2011 1

The Darkness and the Light Adam stayed the night with us again last night. Hes my eldest grandson, 5 and still finds sleeping away from home a challenge. That could be something to do with the fact that he hardly ever stays all night in his own bed. Even with the light on outside his room and the door open, he worries about monsters in the dark. This week I got two library books I thought might help. Bedtime for Frances about a little badger who has a hard time falling asleep, because she thinks she sees a tiger getting in the shadows of her room. She tries all sorts of strategies to resolve her fears and finally runs to tell her father about the tiger. When he turns on the light, they find the tiger is her crumpled up dressing gown. The other book is The Bear in the Room Next Door where the scary noise Josh thinks is a bear turns out to be his father snoring. Despite our bedtime reading, a little companion still arrived in our bed at ?am this morning. Light is so powerful isnt it the beam from a lighthouse can save a ship from foundering, the power of a laser can burn a hole through metal, the light of a star can be seen from a galaxy far far away. Light shows up the tameness of things we fear but it also shows up real dangers that we might have missed. So its not surprising that Light is a key theme in virtually all the world religions, Buddhists pray for the enlightening of the mind,

/var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/scratch21059/88263053.doclast printed 15 January 2011 2

Hindus have Divali the annual festival of light, and in the Koran Light is one of the 99 names for God. For Christians, the notion first occurs in Chapter One of Genesis, it is there on the last page of the Revelation, and it appears hundreds of times between, in almost every one of the books of Scripture. The Jewish songbook has psalms proclaiming the Lord as their light, and his word as a guiding lamp. The Dead Sea sect - alternative Jews who lived round the time of Jesus - wrote in scrolls about the defeat of the angels of darkness by a cosmic power called the Prince of Light. So when Jesus came to reveal the true character of God and his purpose for not just the Hebrew people, but the Gentile world as well, its not surprising that light is a major theme. We read Simeons prophecy over the young child at his temple dedication, declaring He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel! Later John would describe the coming of Christ as the coming of the true light, who gives light to everyone. And Jesus himself used light as one of his sayings about himself. I am the light of the world You may remember that the gospel of John records seven remarkable claims by Jesus, all beginning with the phrase I am... " the bread of

/var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/scratch21059/88263053.doclast printed 15 January 2011 3

life", " the good shepherd" " the way, the truth, and the life". Each was a subtle way of claiming godly authority, because to the Hebrew people the words I am pointed back to Moses in the desert and the voice of God saying to him, I am Jahweh, I am who I am. It was a very clever way of suggesting he was in fact God. Heres our theme verse again. READ John 8: 12 Whats the background to this amazing promise? This chapters and the one before it are set during the Festival of Tabernacles or Booths, one of the three main feasts of Jerusalem and one which occurs in autumn, in the season of deep spiritual significance called the high holy days. I was in Israel in September and October ten years ago and it seemed that every week the schools and shops were closed for another public holiday. In that year (28?) John tells us Jesus travelled down from Galilee to attend this festival, anonymously at first, but then openly teaching in the temple. Twice during that time he delivered a sermon that made a connection with ancient Hebrew rituals the temple priests would enact during the festival. In ch 7 he speaks about living water, taking up the ritual pouring of water which gave thanks for past mercies and asked for the blessing of autumn rain, In ch 8 he makes the connection with the ceremony called Illumination of the temple, the lighting of four golden candelabra or lampstands.

/var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/scratch21059/88263053.doclast printed 15 January 2011 4

These symbolised the pillar of fire that had led the people through the wilderness. Every evening for eight days, the 50 metre tall lamp bowls were lit, and the Talmud tells us music and dancing went till the early hours of the morning. Young folk with (fiery) torches spilled out into the city marketplaces and placed the lights in the recesses of windows and doors, so Jerusalem became literally an "illuminated city on a hill". So here on the eighth day of the feast, in the temple courtyard in plain sight of these great lampstands, Jesus said "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." It was as if he was saying These lamps only light up only this courtyard at night, if you will follow Me, I will light your path wherever you go. We do live in dark times. There is darkness in the lives of individuals and in our society as a whole. Terrorists cause fear and devastation. Powerful nations invade weaker communities, causing death and destruction. Angry mobs attack each other in bitterness and fear. Injustice surges, peace programmes falter, and the gap between rich and poor gets wider every day. At home parents and grandparents run themselves ragged trying to care for their families through redundancy, poverty and despair. Some people are simply victims of

/var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/scratch21059/88263053.doclast printed 15 January 2011 5

distress, grief, confusion, and ignorance, but others serve that evil darkness and allow it to grow and multiply. Paul says his congregation in Ephesus were once like that but through Christ they no longer live in darkness, they are full of light from the Lord. We too live in dark times, but in Jesus, God has brought us into the light. I want to pick up just three words out of this text for today. Number one, Jesus says he is the Light of the World. The whole world. He is not just picking up on all the psalms and prophecies that proclaim the light of God, he is bringing to fruition a promise that God made way back in the time of Abraham about bringing a light to the nations. God promised that the benefits and blessings of Israels relationship with God were not to be kept to themselves but were a sacred trust to be passed on to people of all nations. This is the meaning of the season of Epiphany, and the visit of the Magi from the East that we often recall during this month. Jesus came not just as Messiah for the Jews but to be the Saviour of the world. Thats why the early stories about Jesus are full of light the glory that shone with the angels, the star that guided the wise men, and the prophecy we read from Simeon, that this baby would be a light for the Gentiles as well as the Jews. The Jewish people knew this in theory but their very complex web of traditions and rituals led to the assumption that the

/var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/scratch21059/88263053.doclast printed 15 January 2011 6

Gentiles must come to them. And some did, we know about the Godfearers, who honoured the idea of only one God, and attended synagogue out of respect for the morals and spirituality of Jewish faith. But for the most part Jews didnt see a need to take God and his light out to the Gentile world. As Christians we face the same temptation, expecting unbelievers to come to our church to learn about God, when in reality God expects each one of us to take his light into our workplace and neighbourhood. 1 John 4 reminds us this is all about love. Anyone who loves another brother or sister is living in the light, but anyone who hates is still walking in darkness." Martin Luther King once said. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. But darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. And hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." Jesus is the light of life and love. Secondly lets note the word follow. Jesus talks about those who follow him, not just who agree with a creed or follow a code of practice. Following is quite an active notion, you cant be just a spectator when you are following. Bible scholar William Barclay tells us the Greek word in the text is akolouthein, which has five different but closely connected meanings.

/var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/scratch21059/88263053.doclast printed 15 January 2011 7

(i) It is often used of a soldier following his captain.

On route marches, into battle, in campaigns in strange lands, the Christian soldier follows wherever our Christ our commander leads. (ii) It is often used of a slave accompanying his master. Wherever the master goes the slave is in attendance, ready to spring into action, literally at his masters beck and call.. (iii) It is often used of accepting a wise counsellors opinion. When someone is unsure they go to the expert, and accept the professional advice they receive. The Christians life and conduct is guided by the counsel of Christ. (iv) It is also used of giving obedience to the laws of a city or a state. To be a useful citizen or community participant, we abide by the agreed laws. As a citizen of the kingdom of God, a Christian accepts that the way of Christ governs his life. (v) The word is used of following a teachers line of argument, or of following the gist of someones speech. The follower of Jesus is the one who has understood the teaching of Christ, taken his message to heart and committed themselves to obedience and love. What a rich array of meanings in Christs call to follow, all of them showing an aspect of discipleship. Some years ago I heard a speaker from Canada, a minister and theologian, quite high

/var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/scratch21059/88263053.doclast printed 15 January 2011 8

up in the Methodist church. It struck me that every time he spoke of a church he had pastored, or in one case about the one where his wife is the minister, he used the phrase, the church where I follow Christ. Discipleship was the operative function. I was touched by his humility and have tried to copy that practice, but I still find myself saying the church where I work or the one where I was the minister. You might like to think about that phrase if you are talking to others about this faith community. This is the place where you all follow Christ. And this is the place where you share his light. The third word I want to pick out of the passage is the word never. Scholars tell us this is a very strong phrase, it is a double negative, so we could translate here they shall absolutely not walk in the darkness. I want to deal with this one in relation to the new year we are facing, and the fact that in 2010, and in 2011, and in every other year, we will face some situations that feel very dark, perhaps even utterly bleak and lacking in anything that seems like light. It may be grief and loss, it may be financial struggle or job insecurity, it may a family or relationship problem, fill in the gap if you already have an idea what your darkness will be this year. Jesus is saying that whatever our daily experience, when we journey with him, we have true light within us. Thats a big promise. I haven got any pat

/var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/scratch21059/88263053.doclast printed 15 January 2011 9

answers to roll out when you are in that kind of tunnel. Except perhaps to say that even when it is night here in New Zealand, the sun is still there, its just that we cant see it. Thats a bit pat too. C S Lewis, that wonderful English writer and teacher of last century, wrote about being in the pit of grief after his wife died. He described it as a time when you go to God but all you get is a door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You might as well turn away. But God didnt leave Jack Lewis locked in despair. He tells of a special experience, a sense that God was near and that reality was far better than he had dreamed. He said he couldnt really describe the experience except by a simile, a word picture. He said to imagine a man in total darkness, not really knowing where he is but thinking hes trapped in a cellar or dungeon and feeling dread. Then there comes a sound. He thinks it might be a sound far offwaves or wind blown trees or cattle half a mile away. And if so, it proves hes not in a cellar, but free, in the open air. Or it may be a much smaller sound close at hand a chuckle of laughter. And if so, there is a friend just beside him in the dark. Either way, a good, good sound. Lewis didnt want to make too much of this experience, but his unanswered prayers and unanswered questions no longer seemed like

/var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/scratch21059/88263053.doclast printed 15 January 2011 10

huge, overwhelming problems. He wrote, When I lay these questions before God, I still get no answer. But its a rather special sort of No answer. It is not the locked door. It is more like a silent, certainly not uncompassionate gaze. As though he shook his head not in refusal but waiving the question. Like, Peace, child; you dont understand.
I am the light of the world, said Jesus. If you

follow me, you wont have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life. The light of life that comes from following Jesus, understanding his ways and accepting his promise, is like a chuckle in the darkness. The world around you somehow seems less dark and dreadful, more friendly and alive with Gods presence. When your prayer is answered only by silence, you experience the silence not as God ignoring you but as quiet rest, as Gods peace telling you that some things are beyond your understanding. That kind of peace isnt something I can create for you in a few words.: But I find the Message translation of Phil 4 full of hope
Dont fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of Gods wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. Its wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

/var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/scratch21059/88263053.doclast printed 15 January 2011 11

I hope you can find that hope, that light and that life in this New Year. Dear God, give me light. Give me light so I can see you. Give me light so I can follow Jesus, your son. Give me light so I can bring light to others. Dear God, give me your light Dear God, give me light. Give me light so I can make good decisions. Give me light so I can chase away my fears. Give me light so I can bring light to others. Dear God, give me your light. Lighten our darkness, Lord, we pray, and in your great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers, for the love of your only Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ.