Thoughts from the Congregational VP

From the gentle sun rays that break through our windows in the mornings, to the car headlights that guide us on your way home at night, light is so essential to our lives. Yet, there is a greater Light than any physical light we know… in Isaiah 60:1, the prophet speaks of this greater Light. "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you." 

And in his words there's more than poetry and prophecy; there is a call to action, an encouragement for God's people to find hope — Light in the midst of darkness. Isaiah 59:9-10 states: “Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us; we hope for light, and behold, darkness, and for brightness, but we walk in gloom. We grope for the wall like the blind; we grope like those who have no eyes; we stumble at noon as in the twilight, among those in full vigor we are like dead men.” 

So in Isaiah 60:1 This Light is a beacon of hope, the picture of salvation and spiritual awakening for us. This Light is the true Light of the Messiah — Jesus Christ. He is the light God’s people needed then in Isaiah 59:9-10 . . . he is the light our hearts desperately need today. In a world that can sometimes feel like it’s drowning in darkness — disasters, wars, injustice, and suffering — Isaiah's message is an invitation to embrace God’s true Light of salvation, revealed in the New Testament to be Jesus Christ. Let this light shine brightly within us, driving out the shadows of darkness and illuminating the path for those who don’t yet know of His love or have His Light. Pause for a moment. Imagine a world filled with the Light of God's grace, love and truth. Can you imagine a place where the light of Christ shines from the windows of every home and lights up every street? 

God wants to use us — yes, us — to shine His light brightly and to share His message of grace, hope, mercy, and love with everybody! 

Have you ever just walked from a dark room into an extremely bright space? Light has incredible power over our senses, and sometimes it can be overwhelming. But light is necessary for us to live daily life with Christ. Light shows us what is around us about the realities close to us. Christ is that light. It illuminates the path we walk for us to see a way around not to trip and fall on things like in the dark. In Matthew 5, Jesus uses various light parables to describe life for us with light. He says that we are like a city built on a hill that shines light into the dark valley. He also says we’re like a lamp that gives light to a whole house; not hiding, but shining brightly. The life we live for Jesus is meant to be like that of light that shines brightly for others to see in all that we do everyday in every way. So what is the light that we have? First and foremost, it is the Word of God, the good news of Jesus Christ. We have been given knowledge of what Jesus has done for us, and it’s that knowledge that changes everything. We now have a new life because of Him and His grace and love for us. We’ve been entrusted with this message so that we can share it with others wherever and whenever. Jesus also says that we should recognize our light through all we do for His kingdom because of His love for us. When we go out of our way to show His love to others, we are showing them the light and love of Jesus. Our actions when helping others opens up the opportunities for us to share the grace, hope, mercy, and love of Jesus Christ. There are many ways that we have been equipped to share this message with others. It might be at work or school, with your co-workers, friends, neighbors, or strangers in our community, it could even be with your own family members. It could be a small act of love, a small financial gift, a needed meal, or just an encouraging word, but everything we do should be out of the Love we have for Christ because of the Love He has for us. 

Without His light of Love, our actions are meaningless. The most illuminating act of all is loving people like Jesus Loves us, so that they might know Him. Today, consider how you can be a light to those around you in how you love as He loves us. 

Prayer 
Lord, you are the source of all goodness and wisdom. We have light to give to the world, because it comes from You. You are the light of all Salvation that guides us daily. Please use us as a light in the world around us to show Your Hope, Grace, Mercy, and Love to all we meet. In Jesus name we pray, Amen