Good morning my dear Brethren and Sisters in Christ.
As we sit here today surrounded by family , young people, and friends we take
note that it is nice to sit here in the light. Can you imagine a world without light; groping
in the darkness; without the warmth of the sun on our faces.
We all need the light, desire the light, long for the light, but if that light is too
bright, too intense, we all shy away don’t we. We all squint in the sun. I know that some
of you even shy away from the light filtering in through the stained glass of these
windows. Let’s face it as much as we think we desire the light, it gets to be too much for
us doesn’t it?
Did you know that a person totally deprived of all light will eventually become
blind. His eyes will cease to function and his brain will no longer recognize day from
night. Now we know that this only happens with a total blacknesss for an exteneded
period of time. But we can also see how our vision is affected just from the small amout
of light that we do shun. We stay indoors, hidden from the light. We squint at the sun,
we wear sunglasses, we use our visors and hats to keep the sun from our eyes. It seems
crazy to us that some actually would choose darkness over light, shadows over sunshine,
fog over clear skies. And yet it happens. And we do it ourselves more than we think.
Most of us understand that the light-dark contrast comes to signify sin and
rightousness, Jesus said as quoted in John 8:12
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in
darkness but will have the light of life”
and he told the apostles in Acts 26:18
“I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness
to light, and from the power of satan to God, so that they may recieve
forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sancified by faith in
me.”
Just as all waters of the earth point to the one living water, and all the bread on
earth points to the one Bread of Life, so all light points to Christ, the Light of the World.
Christ brings us from the darkness and the shadows of death to the light of life. Yet we
still shun it don’t we? That’s not to say that we do it all the time. Most us us have
ventured into the light on different occations and even stayed there for a while. Some of
us filter in and out of the light. Not remembering that light has no shelf life. You can’t
carry the light over into the darkness. We wander, seemingly aimlessly. Getting warm in
the light, cooling off in the shade. Going to meeting on Sunday, doing what we want to
do all week. We can’t stand the light for too long can we? Because in that light, every
flaw we have is exposed, every statement we make is unmuted, every facial expression,
every thought accessable to all. And so we wander back in to the shawdows. It’s more
comfortable there isn’t it. Not so bright, not so hot, not so demanding.
1 Peter 2:9 tells us that we have been called out of the darkness and into His
marvelous light. And Isaiah 9:2 states that
“the people who have walked in darkeness have seen a great light: they
that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon tham hath the light
shined”
And again repeated in Matthew 4:16
“The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat
in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.”
So once having the light shine upon us, how can we return to the shadows. How
can we say that we are followers of Christ if we cannot look upon Him and we cannot
bear the brilliance of the Father at the time we meet him face to face.
We read in 2 Corinthins 4:6
“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined
in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the
face of Jesus Christ. “
And we must ask ourselves now. Who are we to attempt to alter the law of
physics that we should carry the light into darkness. We are told in 1 john 1:5 that
“This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto
you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”
And from this we can see that if we are lingering in the shadows of darkness, God
is not with us for in Him there is no darkness.
I think that sometimes we forget that it is the presence of God in our lives that
should be of greatest importance. Not our appearance to Him, during our prayers or
during the Memorial service, but his presence in our lives.
Or example in Christ gives us a wonderful image of lifting our eyes up to Him .
When I feel like complaining, I am reminded of the Israelites and the snakes in the
wilderness. You remember the story from Numbers 21. Even though God punished them
many times in the wilderness for moaning and complaining during their forty years of
wandering, they still continued to complain at every turn of the road. But unlike the
heathens who kept their idols around for when they needed them, the Israelites always
understood that it was the presence of God that was important. They knew that he had
sent the snakes, and they knew that the bronze snake did not actually heal them by itself.
It was their statement of faith in looking up to the firey serpent and then beyond to God
Himself that was important. By looking upward they showed that they understood they
could not heal themselves, but that all healing was from Him.
And I often wonder how we might compare to those wanderers in terms of our
tolerance to light. They wandered through the desert heat, sun beating down on them
without the benefit of a tree. I wonder if they squinted at all. There they stood in the
presence of God almighty. A pillar of fire to light thier way at night. No darkness. No
shadows. Light, glorious light twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.........for fourty
years. And we can barely make it through a Sunday service without shrinking back into
the shadow of death. Letting our minds wander to the cares of this world.
John 1:5 sums it up nicely for us when it states
“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it
not.”
So often we go through life, just trudging through one day after another. Feeling
as if there is no meaning to the things we do. One day is the same as the next. Not really
understanding why we are here, or what a difference we can make. We start to think that
we have no idea where we have been and are barely cognizant of where we are going. 1
John 12:35 tells us this is because
“he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth”
And 1 John 2:11 explains “that darkness hath blinded our eyes.”
Yes, sin has darkened our eyes that we may not behold the Glory of our Father.
And we might not see life. Yes, Light is synonynous with life. Christ brings us from the
darkeness into light, from anxiety to peace. from fear to love, from pain into joy, from
helpless poverty into the limitless kindness of God, to God’s underserved grace, God’s
sheer brilliance. He came to heal, to save, to love. We must be able to look upon Him.
We must have our vision adjusted so that we do not turn away from His love and the
sacrifice made on our behalf. And the best way to do that is to stay in the light.
Complete illumination? Total Cognizance? Full elightenment? What will it mean
when we finnaly step into the light? For most of us, this would be terrifying. Although
painful for a moment, His radiant love will expose us for the selfishness we harbor. His
brilliant love will reveal the prejudice we cling to. And God’s illuminating love will
unmask the face of our unrightousness that hinders our true relationship with Him.
So can we just imagine the brilliance of Christ as he returns. Do we think that we
will be able to stand in his presence.

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Sol L. Gorrell
Wanatah CHristadelphian Ecclesia