20th January 2025
Light in the Darkness
6th January was the Feast of ‘Epiphany’, a word meaning show/reveal, this particular festival recalling the Magi visiting the infant Jesus. Shepherds had already come to the manger, revealing Christ to the nation of Israel; now, the arrival of mysterious Eastern figures announces the arrival of its Saviour to the whole, wide world. ‘Epiphany’ we now tend to use for a blinding revelation, opening our eyes to what we could not see before. In John’s Gospel, Christ’s coming into the world is described as ‘the true light that gives light to everyone’.
No more powerful theme/image in the Bible conveys God’s purposes than Light. In the beginning, God creates Light, distinguished from darkness; Jesus calls himself the Light of the World; at the end, our eternal home in Heaven is described as a place of perpetual light.
At the start of our lives we emerge from the darkness of the womb into light. Important points in our lives – for example, of self-realisation, falling in love, feeling called to a particular career, key moments of understanding, coming to faith – we call ‘light-bulb moments’. We see the worst experiences of our lives as times of darkness; hope of deliverance is seen as ‘light at the end of the tunnel’.
Christ comes into our lives as Light. We see a new meaning and purpose in life. We look forward in hope. We need no longer feel afraid of the dark, because the Light travels with us. If we share that light of understanding, joy and hope with others, the whole world is bright with the life of Christ.
Dave Bell