Sun in Seattle - Walking in the Light

We have been experiencing a run of sunny days here in Seattle. We experience this as a treat in the middle of what we usually experience as dark, gray days. Contrary to the stereotype, it doesn’t always rain in Seattle, but it can be overcast and cloudy for days on end, especially during the winter months. And since we have shorter days, living up north, it can make living here during the winter incredibly depressing. But give us one, clear day and we can kind of grow crazy, with convertible roofs down and coatless, short wearing natives running around. Seeing Seattle through the sun-filled eyes of sportscasters during the football playoffs, we are the most beautiful place on earth. Just ask us, we believe that to be true.

Here, sun and light, especially in winter, bring unspeakable joy. I think it’s because we do not take such days for granted; they are a gift. Seasonal Affective Disorder is part of living in the Pacific Northwest. We can feel pressed down by short, dark days. But one day of sun and we can feel uplifted, energized.

No wonder light and dark have come to represent good and evil. No wonder the Bible tells us to walk in the light rather than the darkness.  In the physical world very few people would choose to walk in darkness, without the help of any light. In the spiritual world many of us choose darkness over light, somehow believing we are freer in the darkness. But just as in the physical world, spiritual darkness can quickly trip us up, and we discover we are not so free to move about.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how the world views Jesus. There are so many conflicting images of Him. All the conflict is designed to blind people from who Jesus really is. The book of John was written to give us a clear picture of Jesus, right from the start.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and was God.”  John, the author is talking about the coming of Jesus. He uses the metaphor “word” and mirrors the first words of Genesis “In the beginning God created.” God spoke and all things became. God’s Word is power, and is synonymous with God Himself. So John sets up his book by letting us know The Word was there at the beginning, and the Word was God. “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:3-5) The Word is Jesus. John leaves little doubt that Jesus is God.

In addition to Jesus being the Word, John also say Jesus is the Light. “The True Light that gives light to everyone” (John 1:9). But, “He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.” To those who did see Jesus for who He truly was, “He gave the right to become children of God, children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:12)

Throughout the Gospel of John we see the metaphor of light given to Jesus. Following the famous John 3:16 passage about God sending His Son to give us eternal life, John continues with “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 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) God loved the entire world. He sent Jesus to die in the place of every human. God loved so much, He gave His Son, so all who believed could have eternal life. But, many chose darkness instead of Light.

John quotes Jesus as saying “As long as it is day, we must do the works of Him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:4,5) Jesus also told his followers, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. Believe in the light while you have the light so that you may become children of the light.” (John 12:35, 36)

John continues his use of the light metaphor in his book titled I John. “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live the truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (I John 1:5-7)

In the physical world most of us love light. We bask in the sun, even if the temperature is freezing. And given a rise in temperature we can’t get enough of the sun. But the sunlight streaming through my window right now is uncovering the dust on my table and chairs, and the filth on my widows totally stands out. Light reveals imperfections, dirt, things we thought were covered up. Try to find that missing sock in the dark, but turn on the light and there it is. Light points out what the darkness covers.

So it is in the spiritual world. We think choosing the dark covers up who we truly are. We have no desire to be seen in the light. However, we might be able to hide our true, dusty self from each other, but not from God. God can cut through the darkness and see all. He is Light. And that truth can be scary, unless we understand that Jesus enabled a way for us to approach that Light without fear. Jesus took on the world’s sin, making way for relationship with The Light. We can stand in that Light and know, having accepted Jesus’ gift, we are safe, considered members of the family, children of God.

Today I am basking in the winter sun. I am also basking in the light of the Son, thankful for His sacrifice in my place, so today I can walk in the Light. Are you enjoying the Light?