Display on the outside what’s on the inside.  Consider it like truth in advertising.  No one prefers those chocolate bunnies at Easter that you bite its head off and there’s nothing but air inside.  We all like something solid, something true, something reliable, and something that communicates on the outside what is truly on the inside.  You know, authenticity.  Kind of like what the Apostle Paul says about love.

Romans 13:8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. 11 And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

I think that’s what bothered me so much about the past year or so (during the election and now even afterwards).  Christians and Christian leaders—(YIKES!) all of whom are supposed to know that sinning is what everyone does and therefore it’s no surprise—pointing in judgment instead of offering counsel, grace, and forgiveness to our political leaders, not to mention our friends, and our contacts on social media.  We did an absolutely terrible job of displaying what we know to be true by faith:

No one gets into heaven on the basis of their own works. 

While we can judge deeds, pray, and vote, we didn’t let our light shine with authenticity.  We didn’t love our neighbor or display forgiveness…and that was a travesty.

Let’s aim to do better, okay?  Let your love light shine.

Fun Fact of Light: Bioluminescence.  National Geographic writes, “Bioluminescence is light produced by a chemical reaction within a living organism. …The appearance of bioluminescent light varies greatly, depending on the habitat and organism in which it is found. Most marine bioluminescence, for instance, is expressed in the blue-green part of the visible light spectrum. These colors are more easily visible in the deep ocean. Also, most marine organisms are sensitive only to blue-green colors. They are physically unable to process yellow, red, or violet colors.”

For Further Thought:

• Do people see on the outside of what you claim to believe on the inside?
• The church demonstrates our belief that the Son was sent by the Father…how?  By our unity (John 17:21). 
• The work ahead of us is to believe (John 6:29). 
• And we demonstrate our love (John 14:15) for God by our obedience (1 John 5:3). 
• How are we doing?  What sins can we give up in order to become more unified?

Father forgive us for being such terrible reflections of You.  Forgive us for being loveless, selfish, arrogant, and recalcitrant.  Forgive us for not forgiving others.  Teach us what it means to forgive and to leave no debt outstanding.  Help our Christian leaders to model Christ’s teachings with authenticity.  Thank You for not designing heaven to be something we could try to earn.  Thank You that it’s all by the grace of our Lord and Savior. Amen.

You may have heard the quote “We have three types of friends in life: Friends for a reason, friends for a season, and friends for a lifetime.” 

* * *

Jesus came for more than that. 

He came as the reason,

for a season on earth,

so that we could see God during Jesus’ lifetime,

and be with Him for eternity.

* * *

Jesus had resolutely set out for Jerusalem knowing the Cross was ahead of Him.  It was the reason He came.

John 12:35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. 36 Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them. 37 Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. 38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 39 For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: 40 “He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn– and I would heal them.” 41 Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him. 42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved praise from men more than praise from God. 44 Then Jesus cried out, “When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 45 When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

Jesus came as a light, the Light of the World, so that the light would be for more than a season, it would be for a reason and we could enjoy the light of His grace and forgiveness eternally.

Fun Fact of Light:  Fireflies make their own light during their short season of life and give us a signal of summer.  In Scientific American ” Marc Branham, an assistant professor in the department of entomology and nematology at the University of Florida, explains.

Fireflies produce a chemical reaction inside their bodies that allows them to light up. This type of light production is called bioluminescence. The method by which fireflies produce light is perhaps the best known example of bioluminescence. When oxygen combines with calcium, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and the chemical luciferin in the presence of luciferase, a bioluminescent enzyme, light is produced. Unlike a light bulb, which produces a lot of heat in addition to light, a firefly’s light is ‘cold light,’ without a lot of energy being lost as heat. This is necessary because if a firefly’s light-producing organ got as hot as a light bulb, the firefly would not survive the experience.

A firefly controls the beginning and end of the chemical reaction, and thus the start and stop of its light emission, by adding oxygen to the other chemicals needed to produce light…

Fireflies appear to light up for a variety of reasons … Larvae use their glows as warning displays to communicate their distastefulness. As adults, many fireflies have flash patterns unique to their species and use them to identify other members of their species as well as to discriminate between members of the opposite sex. Several studies have shown that female fireflies choose mates depending upon specific male flash pattern characteristics.

For Further Thought:

Does your Jesus have nail scars?  Or when you visualize Him, are you more likely to see His face and not intentionally see the evidence of His season of suffering here on earth? 

Lord Jesus, thank You for coming, for Your incarnation, the Word becoming human flesh for the reason of being the Light of the World for a season so that we might be saved and enjoy Your presence, not just for a lifetime, but for eternity.  Amen.

Most people know John 3:16 exists if only from end zone placards.  The rest of this passage where Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the dark of night presents a clear case and a verdict.  If it were filmed, I’d picture it as film noir, but don’t worry, Jesus wouldn’t be chain-smoking with some femme fatale. 

Continuing to John 3:19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

“Nothing good happens after midnight” is a saying many people know.  Most acknowledge there’s an element of truth there even if Nicodemus came at night to hear the truth and see the light.  Jesus tells us who loves darkness and hanging out in the noir places of the world, but the light of truth will expose everything in the end.  I’m going to tell a longer version of our fun fact today since it spoke to me in conjunction with today’s passage.  If Light: There’s Nothing Like It is held as contrast to the noir of the world, there’s a spiritual insight we can gain from it.

Fun Fact of Light: Film Noir, the dark side of American film that began after WWII and replaced the cheery side of Hollywood in the 1940s.  Film Site explains, “A wide range of films reflected the resultant tensions and insecurities of the time period, and counter-balanced the optimism of Hollywood’s musicals and comedies. Fear, mistrust, bleakness, loss of innocence, despair and paranoia are readily evident in noir, reflecting the ‘chilly’ Cold War period when the threat of nuclear annihilation was ever-present. The criminal, violent, misogynistic, hard-boiled, or greedy perspectives of anti-heroes in film noir were a metaphoric symptom of society’s evils, with a strong undercurrent of moral conflict, purposelessness and sense of injustice.”

Roger Ebert wrote a column identifying ten characteristics of film noir including

2. A movie which at no time misleads you into thinking there is going to be a happy ending.

3. Locations that reek of the night, of shadows, of alleys, of the back doors of fancy places, of apartment buildings with a high turnover rate, of taxi drivers and bartenders who have seen it all…

8. Movies either shot in black and white, or feeling like they were…

10. The most American film genre, because no society could have created a world so filled with doom, fate, fear and betrayal, unless it were essentially naïve and optimistic.

Screen Junkies gets to the heart of the spiritual aspect:  “Film noir movies have fatalistic attitudes. A character will often feel like their life is pre-ordained and that free will is an illusion. This film noir characteristic was influenced by the international conflicts of the time and the powerlessness to avoid them many Americans felt.

Fatalism is expressed by one transgression that spirals out of control.  The average citizen character makes a mistake that snowballs into much greater problems. Every attempt at correction just makes everything worse. This is often called a spider web of deceit in film noir. It can suggest hysteria and panic.

Voice-overs are common. This is due to the popularity of Freudian thought at the time. The voice-over narration film noir characteristic represents psychological reflection and introspection by a character.”

For Further Thought:

• How does a transgression get out of control?  Read James 1:13-15 for thoughts.
• How does faith in Christ promise a happy ending?  What can change the world’s fatalism to the hope of Christ?
• Do people living in a pattern of evil stop for reflection and introspection?  Why or why not?  How does the concept of noir seem like the world we live in? Read Isaiah 53:6 and 2 Timothy 3:1-9 for insight

Thank You, Lord Jesus, that hope can be ours because of what You did in reconciling us…even while we were still sinners.  It is Your death, and Your death only, that can change our circumstances and powerlessness.  We praise You for Your victory over death!  Hallelujah for your Triumphal Entry and steadfastness through the Cross and all the way to the tomb!  Thank You, for conquering death and giving us eternal hope of glory in Your presence!  Amen.

I hate buying light bulbs these days.  I miss the good old days of energy ignorance and the carefree joy of my incandescent 100 watt bulbs that were easy to identify, always made me happy, and were highly affordable.  Light is good whether a spotlight or a floodlight.

Knowing who belongs in the spotlight and who doesn’t is even better. John the Baptist had that all figured out.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. 6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

When it comes to witnessing to the light, what are people seeing in you?  Someone who goes to church on Sunday but clams up about Jesus when given the opportunity to tell people?  Lifestyle evangelism only goes so far in helping people to know about Jesus.  Inviting them to church, the modern pastors’ favorite parishioner copout, puts the spotlight on church and passes the buck to the pastor when Jesus wants each of us to witness to the Light.

Fun Fact of Light: Spotlights and Flood Lights in Stage Lighting.  You have no idea how hard it is to find information on how spotlights and floodlights work.  Everyone has a bulb to sell and if you find the hardware store’s lighting aisle annoying, this search would do you in.  All I wanted to know was whether the reflectors in the spotlight caused the focus or whether it was the lens.  It’s apparently both since most have a lens and reflectors.. 

Lighting instruments “can be broadly separated into two categories: floodlights, which illuminate a wide area, and spotlights (sometimes known as profiles), which produce a narrower, more controllable light beam. The distinction has to do with the characteristics of the light produced by the instrument. Spotlights produce a potentially tightly focused light, while floodlights produce a much more diffuse light… A beam projector is a lensless instrument with very little beam spread. It uses two reflectors. The primary reflector is a parabolic reflector and the secondary reflector is a spherical reflector. The parabolic reflector directs the light into nearly parallel beams, and the spherical reflector is placed in front of the lamp to reflect light from the lamp back to the parabolic reflector, which reduces spill. The result is an intense shaft of light that cannot be easily controlled or modified. The beam projector no longer is used to the extent that it once was, as newer fixtures and PAR lamps have created easier ways to produce the effect.”

For Further Thought:

• When witnessing about the Light of the world (John 8:12) as the light of the world (Matthew 5:14), where does the spotlight belong? 
• How does John the Baptist show us the spotlight and the floodlight of witnessing about Christ? 
• How does this help explain how Jesus is the Light and we are the light?

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for the amazing privilege You bestow in allowing us to share Your good news with other people.  Please bring opportunities to speak of Your mercy and grace.  Give us words to speak and the courage to speak them.  Thank You for this marvelous gift of salvation and may we never take it for granted.  May we always keep the spotlight on You as You help us to be a light in a world of darkness.

Jeremiah 17:7 “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

A supernova, the end of a sun:  “Astronomers have spotted a mysterious flash of X-rays coming from a galaxy 10.7 billion light years away.  The phenomenon, discovered by NASA’s Chandra X-ray observatory in the deepest X-ray image ever obtained, has baffled scientists after it suddenly erupted in brightness and then faded from view just a day later.  Experts suspect it may have come from a ‘completely new type of cataclysmic event,’ with gamma-ray bursts and even destruction of a white dwarf star thought possibly to blame.” (Cheyenne Macdonald)

In the snarky comments associated with this article  people wrote about the end of a sun,

• Scientists detect speck of light and go into wild speculation. 
• Another sign from God? Oh wait, this is 10.7 billion years ago and we all know the universe was created 6000 years ago. 
• Looks like the Empire just blew up Alderaan with their Planet Killer. 
• As if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.
• Zzzzzz.

Sleep away and mock and dismiss, but they’re signs—yeah from the Bible—of the end of the world as we know it. 

Quoting Isaiah 13:10, Jesus says about the end times,

Immediately after the distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ (Matthew 24:29)

It’s also in Mark 13: 23 “So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. 24 “But in those days, following that distress, ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 26 “At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.”

Jesus tells us not to be found catching our Zzzzzz’s, but to be on our guard.  He’s coming and a darkened Sun–this time ours–is but one of the signs of the end.

Fun fact of light: Supernovas. Science and health journalist, Erin Brodwin writes that scientists were “sampling the atmospheres of two dead stars in the Hyades Cluster…This is what they think happened: When stars begin to give out, the contraction and expansion they undergo causes their masses to fluctuate wildly. When one mass of one planet in a solar system changes, it throws off the precarious gravitational balance of surviving planets and the asteroids between them. When the asteroids swing towards the dead star, they are shattered by its pull, and their scattered remains may settle to Saturn-like rings that circle the inert star.

Here’s why it matters: … By piecing together the birth and death of stars in other solar systems, scientists hope to understand how our solar system formed — and what will happen when our Sun perishes. “ 

For further thought:

• No offense to Ms. Brodwin, but once our Sun is darkened and the stars fall from the sky, is it really going to matter for this life, or is it the end, game over? 
• Are you ready for the day of Christ’s return?

Lord Jesus, we thank You that You have told us ahead of time so that we might be prepared for Your return.  Grant that we would be found watching, not sleeping…found faithful, not rebelling…and found hopeful regarding the New Heaven and New Earth and not just trying to hold onto this one.  Amen.

One of the most intriguing stories of the Bible is typically referred to as “The Transfiguration.”  Up on a high mountain, Jesus was revealed as the Son of God by none other than the Father Himself.  It’s a glory story recorded in all 3 Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:1-9, and Luke 9:28-36).  That ought to clue us in to how important an event this was.  And it’s not the first time the Father proclaimed Jesus as His Son.  Like bookends, the proclamation by God at Jesus’ baptism (Luke 3:21-22), and as Jesus begins His journey to the Cross is meant to encourage our faith.  Jesus’ glory was veiled when the Word was made flesh…from His incarnation to inauguration of His ministry and all the way to the tomb.  He still had the glory.  We just couldn’t see the light of glory contained within Him.

Luke 9: 23 Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? 26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.” 28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, 31 appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters– one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.) 34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” 36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen.

The passage in Luke shows how light and the glory are connected and identifies the purpose of The Transfiguration in the lives of disciples.  It’s meant to encourage us that even though Christ was veiled among us, He won’t be when He returns.  Jesus connects the glory of His return, seeing the Kingdom of God, following Christ Jesus into suffering with a glimpse of heavenly reality in His Transfiguration.

Fun fact of light:  Light can transmit information!  Fiber optic cables take communications and data, turn it into light pulses so it can travel vast differences. According to Life Wire, “Compared to wired cables, fiber optic cables provide higher bandwidth and can transmit data over longer distances…[and] support much of the world’s internet, cable television and telephone systems.” 

Professor Bill Hammack of the University of Illinois-Urbana explains how they work in this interesting video. 

For further thought:

Read Hebrews 1:3 “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.”  How did the transfiguration reveal God’s glory with the light of God spanning the distance of heaven to earth perfectly through Jesus?

Read Philippians 2:3-11 and 1 Peter 4:13 “But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.”  Why might the Father have proclaimed Jesus as His Son at Jesus’ baptism and before Jesus went the Cross?  How can suffering be a pathway for light, through which we see God’s love, mercy, and glory?

Father God, how we praise You for Your plan of salvation and the perfect way You communicated Your love and mercy in Jesus Christ our Savior.  Thank You for loving us, Lord Jesus.  Thank You for the Holy Spirit so we can understand Your power and righteousness through glimpses of Christ who is the radiance of Your glory and the Light of the World.  Amen

I’ll admit it.  Jesus connects things that aren’t always obvious to me.  I look at passages of Scripture and it can seem an odd amalgam of Jesus’ random thoughts.  Now, I know Jesus isn’t saying bizarre things as a joke on Christians.  He didn’t goof in jumbling it all together, but I’m not catching on to what He wants to reveal until the Holy Spirit develops the picture before my eyes.  Such is the case with Matthew 6:16-24 and the eye and lamp commentary.

Matthew 6: 16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

How are those things possibly connected?  Why sandwich the eye between fasting, treasures, and money? What do a hypocrite, an investor, and a master have to do with light?  It isn’t a joke like 3 pastors went into a bar…

Let me ask a different set of questions.  Have you ever seen someone that you knew was a believer in Jesus because there was a twinkle or a light of joy to his eye? Have you ever seen a mugshot of someone whose eyes had no light whatsoever and it was like his soul was vacant and his morals dead?

The eye, good or bad, can reveal what’s in a person far more than what they show on the outside with their public viewing profile.  God sees beyond externals to what’s inside, where your heart truly is, and what you actually value.  People can put on a great big show of self-sacrifice to parade before men, but underneath it all God sees (and His light exposes) whether it’s God or some other master whom you really love.

Fun Fact of Light: Photographic Development.   “The word “photography” is a compound word that is originated by the Greek language. “Photo” means light and “graph” means draw.  The first photograph was taken in 1826 by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce …[and it was] produced on a polished pewter plate covered with a petroleum derivative called bitumen of Judea.”  (Bitumen of Judea is a tar-like compound which is also called Syrian asphalt.)  

Techwalla explains:  “All cameras function in the same way–they capture patterns of light (what we see as images) on plastic-based film covered with a silver compound. When you take a photo, the shutter opens briefly to capture the image the lens “sees” and imprints it on the film’s silver compound. Color film has three layers of silver compounds, each sensitive to different hues of light: blue, green and red. In order for the film to be turned into an actual photograph, it has to be developed. The secret to Polaroid Instant Cameras is in the film: The film itself already contains the chemicals necessary for photo development… When you first see a Polaroid image come out of the camera, the photo itself is still gray. As the image appears slowly before your eyes, what you’re actually seeing is a chemical reaction: the special chemicals reacting with the silver compound.”

For further thought:

• As the Polaroid image of your life develops instantly to people nearby, if your eye is a lamp, what does it show?
• Photographs record our memories and our life’s history.  Where’s Jesus in yours?

Lord Jesus, we are so grateful that Your Holy Spirit takes from what is Yours and makes it known to us.  May Your light reveal our hearts as devoted to You.  May our eyes be good, seeing You as merciful and loving.  Grant that our lives would be a work of genuine art, revealed by Your light, so that the world might know Your grace. Amen.

A shining city on a hill.  It sounds so beautiful.  No wonder every Christian wants to imagine him/herself as a beacon of light shining and being aglow with faith and good deeds.  And while “You are the light of the world” conveys all that beauty of light to a world in darkness, maybe it’d be good to acknowledge that light is also a means of communication, a signal.

We signal goodness which brings praise to our Father in heaven.  Indeed, Jesus even says so.

Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 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. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

But when you stop to think about it, people didn’t build cities on hills to be beautiful.  They built them on hills because it was the best defense and a good offense. 

Jesus connected our light with being a city on a hill.  Why?  Visibility alone?

The Christian faith is simultaneously a gracious and beautiful invitation to salvation in Christ and it’s also a declaration of war against the devil and his schemes. 

Christians are messengers of the King, running with the Gospel, and light from a city on a hill acts as a signal.  It communicates encouragement for others to see and shine, it allows your light to go as far as possible, and it is the fastest way to send a signal far and wide that danger is near but salvation is nearer through Christ our King.

Fun fact of light:  Warning Beacons.  Warning fire beacons were great signal devices and have long been part of military communications.  In The Early History of Data Networks by Gerard J Holzmann and Björn Pehrson of Harvard University, they discuss a crime problem and how

 “[The] problem led to a decision by the early Babylonian kings to place royal guards at regular distances along the roads.  These guards were originally intended only for the protection of travelers, but their presence led quite naturally to a number of major improvements in the messenger system.  The first was the establishment of a relay system, where a message was passed from guard station to guard station, each time carried by a new runner.  The second decision was to equip the guard posts with fire beacons, so that simple alarm or warning signs could be passed quickly from one end of the road to the other, without the need for a human runner.”

You may have seen something similar in the movie The Lord of the Rings as the Warning Beacons of Gondor.   Or contemplated the origin of communication networks such as the smoke signal or Paul Revere’s “One if by land, two if by sea,” or the optical SOS Morse Code signal lamp/Aldis lamp.  Light is more expeditious than sending a person when time is imperative.

For further thought:

How might your light from a city on a hill act as a warning beacon and signal that you’re a runner for the King?

Today, I’d like to introduce you to an app for your smartphone.  My friends Gerard and Jeannie Long with Awakening to God ministries are spiritual runners, messengers for the King and beacons of light shining as far as the Internet can take them.  Their nice little app has a big beacon impact of 8 minutes a day of Bible reading and reflection.  Your purchase of this easily affordable app will go toward providing clean water, meals, mosquito nets, and medical services for the poorest of the poor in India.  I bought the ATG Today app on the App Store and have enjoyed reading and journaling daily.  Given that I’m always tempted to pick up my phone first thing in the morning, I might as well do it with something to help God’s light shine brightly within my soul and outside of my own little world as a signal that I belong to the King.  Please purchase the app and spread the word about it too.  We can be a network of spiritual runners, messengers, and beacons of light in the kind of relay that makes a worldwide impact.  Thank you.

Lord Jesus, help us to always remember that You are King and the One True God.  Grant that Your light would shine brightly within us as beauty of the Gospel invitation and also as a signal that salvation is near in Christ Jesus.  Since Your return is near, let us shine brightly knowing that time is of the essence.  Amen.

Micah 7:1 What misery is mine! I am like one who gathers summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster of grapes to eat, none of the early figs that I crave. 2 The godly have been swept from the land; not one upright man remains. All men lie in wait to shed blood; each hunts his brother with a net. 3 Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire– they all conspire together. 4 The best of them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen has come, the day God visits you. Now is the time of their confusion. 5 Do not trust a neighbor; put no confidence in a friend. Even with her who lies in your embrace be careful of your words. 6 For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law– a man’s enemies are the members of his own household. 7 But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me. 8 Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. 9 Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the LORD’s wrath, until he pleads my case and establishes my right. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness. 10 Then my enemy will see it and will be covered with shame.

We’re living in troubled times.  Not just in the United States.  It’s all over the world.  Glossing over it is to live in denial.  Putting a pretty and diverse frame around it fails to resolve the problem.  The problem is sin.

Lent is traditionally a season during which we contemplate the reasons why Jesus had to die.  Reasons which are simultaneously legion and can be boiled down to one: sin.

Plenty of pastors and preachers, certainly the lion’s share of politicians don’t want to talk much about sin.  This is the legacy of troubled times brought about by sin’s hold on the human race, a godless moral relativism, and a pathetic paucity of genuine Bible teaching, its truth being cast as just one of many ideas in a world of diversity.

Are you sitting in darkness, embracing some kind of sin?  The LORD will be your light.  The Savior will be your righteousness if you are willing to come out of the darkness and shame.  Jesus came to bear your shame and experience God’s wrath so you wouldn’t have to. 

Are you in need of the comforting light of the Savior?  He loves you.  Come into His light.

Fun Fact of Light:  Okay, today’s isn’t really fun at all.  It’s about Memorial Candles.  They’re used in many religious traditions and we often see them lit as part of memorials post-tragedy.  Among the many reasons in Jewish tradition, Chabad explains beginning with this one, 

“We Jews light a whole lot of candles for the dead. I have seen candles lit at a shivah house of mourning, on the yahrtzeit (anniversary of passing), and even for the entire first year of mourning. What is the reason behind the candle, and when did the custom begin? … The verse states, “The soul of man is the lamp of G‑d.” As such, the candle serves as a remembrance of the departed soul.” 

For Further Thought:

Why would a memorial candle bring comfort from a Christian point of view?  How does today’s Scripture passage shed light on this practice?

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for experiencing all the shame and all the wrath so we do not have to.  Thank You, that this life is not all there is for those who believe in You.  We pray for those who have died in attacks this past week, in persecution, in desperate and troubled times.  We pray for those needing Your comfort and the light of joy in You as they face life in a deeply troubled world.  Amen.