The Power of Light

January 6, 2014

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Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of Life.”
John 8:12

Today is Epiphany, celebrated by many liturgical churches, as the journey and visit by the Magi to the Christ Yeshua and the celebration of the manifestation of the only-begotten Son to the Gentiles. Many protestant churches celebrate the season of Epiphany until Ash Wednesday…and the world celebrates the Light which has come into the darkness! It is not over!

I am refusing to take down my Christmas tree! This year, we did Christmas big, but kept it simple, if that makes sense. Our two small trees were beautifully lit, but bore no ornaments and our grand family tree, for the first time in thirty-four years, also was void of the usual décor…but the lights were magnificent…glowing in the darkness of the room. The lights were spell-bounding to me as we celebrated the Christmas season with our family in our Spicewood home.

I found myself plugging in the lights of the trees each morning, and then waiting until just before bedtime to unplug them. I love how they shine through the windows into the darkness. What I have discovered is that these “lights” are reflections of Hope and the promise of the Almighty God as He chose to make His journey in the flesh to this earth.

Matthew reminds us that the Magi saw the Christ Child’s Star in the east and followed The Star as it went before them until it led them to the Child. They followed The Light. Isaiah had prophesied that people sitting in darkness would see a Great Light…and upon them a Light would dawn. And Jesus came to this earth…His Father and He had spoken light into existence at Creation…and Jesus came, the Light of men, to shine into the darkness and to enlighten every man. Jesus said, “I am the Light of the World; He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of Life.”

I think about the darkness of the four-hundred years when God did not speak after the prophet Malachi’s final words, the darkness of the events in our world today, the darkness that hovered over my life until I saw the star of His Light that led me into relationship with Him and the darkness that lustfully craves to overtake each one of us …But the darkness cowers at the glimpse of The Light of Life! Halleluiah!

The Power of Light…

My family and I have enjoyed years on the beautiful Caribbean beaches of Grand Cayman. Creation cries out as mankind, for generations, has experienced the beauty of the pristine beaches and the crystal blue water which meets the heavens in the horizon…and there, my family encountered the incredible and majestic beauty of God’s creation…One of our favorite experiences was scuba diving, and more specifically, doing night dives under the Caribbean sky. I have never experienced such utter silence; total silence disturbed only by the sound of my own breathing, within the absolute and total blackness of the ocean depths. The silence and the darkness were one of the most dramatic moments I have ever experienced…A peace and a serenity settled in and then the next response is almost a panic…utter darkness…until the tiny five inch long flashlight is turned on…and in a miraculous moment…the utter darkness is lit by one tiny flicker of a light…I was stunned, I was amazed that a tiny light, even a flicker… could overcome total darkness…The Power of Light…

How often do our children cry because of their experience with the dark? Many night’s sleep have been interrupted before parents could rescue a child from the darkness of their bedroom, with some small object of light…bringing an inexplicable peace to a young child…from some small source of light, completely changing the appearance of their room…of their perception of life…

The Power of Light…The miraculous power of a lighthouse as its light guides and beckons a ship though the storm into the harbor of safety…

The Power of Light…Light therapy is used to treat Seasonal Affective disorder (SAD) by exposure to light…affecting the brain chemicals linked to mood, depression, sleep disorders and other conditions…The Power of Light…

Christmas lights…no wonder they delight every age person. They shine light into the darkness of a winter night. They transform the dull and dreary into beautiful! They do not change the circumstance or the reality of the tangible, but they bring the focus of the partaker to a place beyond the mundane, where we dare to let Hope and the magic of Light envelop our weary hearts. Nothing is more beautiful than watching the face of a child as the Light of Christmas is reflected in their eyes…and nothing is more beautiful than the face of an elderly person drinking in the beauty of the Light of Life…

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The Christmas Star which led the Magi, men wise enough to follow the Light, to the Christ Child, cannot be unplugged or doused, or packed away. The Light of Life shines brightly into the darkness with the very purpose of enlightening every person. That is precisely why Christ came to this earth.

And for many of my family and my friends, these days are difficult with heart-ache, financial challenges, relationship disappointments, grieving…true for many of you as well…but just as the tiny flicker of light brightens and illuminates the physical darkness…God’s Word is the lamp unto our feet, the light unto our path…leading, guiding…And the Word became flesh and lived among us…And the Light of the world came…and He promises that when we follow, we will not walk in darkness…The Power of Light…

My Christmas trees have been transformed into “Trees of light.’” Therefore, I can wait to disassemble them, at least for awhile. I’m still absorbing the little twinkle lights….and I cannot help but bask in the Light of His Love, His Glory, and His Hope…when I walk to my door and see the lights shining through the window panes into the darkness of the January night. And, I just hope that someone else will see the Light and feel the Hope and the Love of our great Amazing God…..

May we all keep Christmas in our hearts every day…..Shining into the darkness…May this be a year of manifestation and realization to those for whom we pray, for our families, for our friends, for ourselves…that any darkness in our lives would give way to the Light of Life…May we keep Christmas in our hearts and in our lives every day of this new year…and may this season of Epiphany bring new revelation and manifestation of the Truths of our Almighty God…Messiah…The Light of Life.

The Power of Light…

Although there is darkness in this world…the Light of Life is the most powerful…just as the tiny light overcame the vast darkness of the ocean…the Light of Life overcomes all darkness…every darkness…And you, as a follower of Christ, shine Light into the vast darkness…even if you are the only Light shining through Christ…the Light which dwells in you overcomes darkness…Epiphany….

But praise the Almighty God…the body of Christ, the Church, lives and prevails over the darkness…you are not alone…you are in Christ…you are the body…you are light in the Lord…The Power of Light…

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world….Let your light shine before men in such a way….that brings glory to our Father in Heaven. Matthew 5:14-16

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of Light.”

Ephesians 5:8

 

Glorious hope and joy…

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