Pastor Hugh's Monthly Meditation
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JESUS THE TRUE LIGHT
COMING INTO THE WORLD
In the Bible (specifically in the New Revised Standard Version) the word, “light” is found 207 times. Some of these refer to physical light, as in Genesis 1:3 when God said, “Let there be light.”, or to the weight of something, as when Jesus promises, “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt.11:30) But beyond these uses, light has a symbolic meaning in the Bible. In the New Testament it is the Greek word “φως” (phos, which rhymes with dose), that is the most significant for us. It is this word that is used when we read in John’s Gospel that the “true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.” (John 1:9) Or later when Jesus proclaims, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) Light, in its symbolic meaning, guides us and brings us life, knowledge, and restores our hope. It is this symbol of hope and life that is captured by the image of the Lighted Candle Window shown on this page. As a candle can bring light even to the darkest room, so Christ, the true light, promises to bring hope, life and light to the darkest of our days.
Click on image to see a larger view of St. Paul’s “Lighted Candle” Window, in a separate window.
On Wednesday, February 20th, those who looked skyward around 10 p.m. were treated to a rare celestial event—a total lunar eclipse. As I was watching the earth’s shadow cover the moon, darkening it and turning it a deep red, I couldn’t help but wonder what our ancient ancestors would have thought watching such an event. In their day, the darkening of the moon was seen as as ominous and frightening sign. This and other such events—especially including a total solar eclipse—were seen by the ancients as signs of their gods’ judgement.
Even our ancestor, Joel, among others, saw in these eclipses signs that would precede the coming “Day of the Lord,” that day when God would render judgement upon the earth and its enhabitants. “The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes.” (Joel 2:31) It is no wonder that light, both physical and symbolic, held such powerful meaning. While darkness brings despair, judgement, and even death, light brings hope, renewal, and life.
Isaiah wrote of this renewed hope promised by God when he proclaimed, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness — on them light has shined.” (Isaiah 9:2) In the midst of a real risk of a pending national disaster by the hands of Israel’s enemies, Isaiah promises that a new source of hope is imminent. This hope would have been understood as coming in the form of a new king who would have David as his ancestor. While these words were spoken first within a particular ancient world, addressing a particular political reality, their power and promise were not limited to the time of Isaiah only. These words speak across the millennia to us in our days of darkness. We hear these very words each year when we celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas Eve. Matthew sites these words when he sees in the beginning of Jesus ministry a fulfillment of Isaiah’s promise. (Matthew 4:16) And we continue to yearn for their imminent fulfillment in our hearts and lives when life seems overwhelming and increasingly “dark.”
By having candles in our worship service, and by having a lighted candle featured in one of our stained glass windows, we surround ourselves with symbols of the promise of the True Light, Jesus. In a few weeks we will come together to remember how the world—the political and religious powers-that-be— tried to extinguish this light and hope on what we have come to call Good Friday by executing Jesus on a Roman cross. As Jesus breathed out his last breath it seemed to all present that with his death, the Light of the World had gone out. But Sunday, Easter, will soon be here. And on Easter we are invited to shout out a new and darkness-shattering reality in the words, “The Lord is risen!” For on Easter we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. And in Jesus’ resurrection we are assured the promise that this light of hope and love is a light that no darkness can ever overcome.
Hugh R. B. Haffenreffer
Pastor
March 2008
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