Living in the Light

If I had my druthers, I’d take Paul’s advice to the Church in Ephesus and only read the first three verses of the prescribed lesson from the letter to that same Church.

“Once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light– for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.” [Full Stop]

After the roller-coaster of a week I’ve had, I’m content to just sit in the light and let God take care of the darkness.  Whether it is the controversy stirred up by World Vision changing their personnel policies to allow for the hiring of employees in same-sex marriages and then 48 hours later, amid outcry from evangelicals and fundraising by progressives, reversing that decision or the mentally unstable, elderly, homeless woman who joyfully got on a bus to Mobile, but whose schizophrenia kept her from taking the last 2 minutes of her 3 hour journey to a shelter, or SBC who has been on a three day sleep strike, there’s been a lot of darkness in my life this week, and I’m refusing to let it win.  I’m resting in the fact that God’s desire is that I focus on what is good and right and true.  I’m confident in John’s assertion that the light of God shines in the darkness and the darkness did not [will not, can not] overcome it.  I’m reminding myself that even if I seek out what is pleasing to the Lord, there are plenty of things that are out of my control that can upset my apple cart.

I’m living as a child of the light this week, despite the darkness, and I know that I’m not alone.  So, despite the fact that it isn’t allowed, I’d still probably consider forgoing Paul’s foray into the darkness in Ephesians this Sunday just so we could all bask in the light of God’s grace.

An Interesting Qualifying Statement

Another Sunday in Lent, another loooooong Gospel lesson from John that will tempt the preacher to ramble all over the place in an attempt to catch the myriad themes inherent in the story.  While I’m dealing with my visceral reaction to the way the disciples treat the man born blind (MBB) as if he’s just a theological prop to be debated and dissected, I’m choosing to write instead about an interesting qualifying statement made by Jesus.

“As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (Jn 9.5)

You’ll recall from the Prologue to John’s Gospel, a text Episcopalians hear read every First Sunday after Christmas, that one of the key components of Jesus’ identity in John is that of light.  In that great cosmic poem, Jesus is described as “life and light” (1.4-5) and “the true light which enlightens everyone” (1.9).  Later, as Jesus continues to be challenged by the Pharisees, he claims for himself the role of light bearer, “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (8.12).  Yet here we are, merely a chapter later, it seems like Jesus is claiming that his light can be extinguished.

As we round the halfway point in Lent, having now passed through the awful right of passage known as “Daylight Saving Time” and now on the other side of the vernal equinox, the season seems to be all about growing light, while our feelings will be all about growing darkness as we head toward the noon hour on Good Friday when darkness fell over the whole earth.  So, which is it?  Light or dark?

Truth be told, by now I’ve done what the disciples did to the MBB.  I’ve created a theological straw man to prove a preconceived point.  See, Jesus will die on Good Friday.  It will get dark.  Very dark, but darkness and death will not have the final word.  The light of the world will shine through the resurrected Jesus, and continues to shine through his Body, the Church, even to this day.  Jesus may be ascended to the right hand of the Father, but he hasn’t left the world, he is still very much with us and in us, and his light continues to provide hope in the midst of darkness that threatens us from all sides.  The qualifying statement of Jesus is only a qualifying statement if we don’t believe in the continuity of his message and the holiness of his Church.  If we do believe these things, then the ramifications are clear, as members of Christ’s one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church, we are the light of the world.

Now, to figure out how to be light.  Thankfully, Jesus told us about that just a few weeks ago.