The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
Isaiah 9:2
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. 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 2:29–32
This is the verdict: light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.
But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
John 3:19–21
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”
Matthew 6:22–23
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:14–16
But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.
1 Corinthians 3:10–13
When Christianity was embraced by the Taoist Chinese in the seventh century, they called it “the light religion”. Everywhere in the New Testament the metaphor of light is used to clarify aspects of our faith.
Jesus is identified as the light of the world. Even in our two short passages
from Isaiah and Luke 2, three different facets of what that can mean are included. Isaiah foretells the coming of Jesus (see this taken up in Matthew 4:16) as a light to people condemned to live in a dark place. This is light as salvation, comfort, rescue, and hope. In the Song of Simeon (sometimes called the Nunc Dimittis) in Luke 2, the light of Jesus is seen both as revelation – opening the eyes of the Gentiles to new truth – and as glory, the radiance or shekinah of God in the midst of his people.
Our text from John 3 identifies the necessity of light for discernment, for the
exposure of truth and reality. Our text from Matthew 6 considers how what we focus on illuminates our thinking and experience – if we focus on goodness, our whole selves and lives are enlightened. If we focus on evil, in place of illumination we have only shadows and confusion.
The passage from Matthew 5 looks at light as radiance – goodness which
both lights up the world and shines a spotlight on the beauty of God. And our Corinthians passage reminds us to be mindful of how we live, remembering that the day will come when the light of God will reveal everything we chose and did for what it really is. Light is about integrity.
Jesus, light of the world, shine into our hearts and expose what is really there. Where there is sadness and gloom, may your light shine joyfully. Where there are shadows of pretence and hypocrisy, may the radiance of your truth chase them away. May your light so illumine our hearts and minds that our lives may shine forth like lanterns of hope, and beacons of the gospel of truth. This we ask in your holy name; Amen.
