Thought for Today
Genesis 1:3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
John 1:3 What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
I remember fireflies. I remember the magic of watching tiny pinpricks of light dance among the bushes in our backyard when I was very young. Do you? The last time I saw a firefly was several years ago when we took a family vacation to Vermont. Our children, their spouses and our grandchildren were all together. The field behind our accommodations had been left uncut; and, during the early morning and at dusk, there were those same dancing pinpricks of light cavorting all across the tips of the tall grasses in that field.
Since God spoke those words above during Creation, light has played a critical role in human development. The word ‘light’ appears more than 200 times in the Bible. Often that word refers to luminescence. It also serves as a powerful metaphor for good.
Modern science has unlocked information about bioluminescence. Scientists can tell us how and why the firefly produces that magical light. Scientists have uncovered other examples in nature of bioluminescence. Examples on land and in the oceans. I’m sure that a computer search of the word bioluminescence would produce a wealth of explanations and examples and probably even mention some of the commercial applications we have developed.
Modern medicine has discovered that light is essential for our health and welfare. We now are warned during the winter to be aware of the dangers of Seasonally Affective Disorder, SAD. “Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that's related to changes in seasons — seasonal affective disorder (SAD) begins and ends at about the same times every year. If you're like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody.” (mayoclinic.org)
Since Greta and I moved to New England, with our often-gloomy winter days, our doctors now monitor our vitamin C levels. Living along the Texas Gulf Coast, nobody ever worried about getting enough sunshine. Until recently, I didn’t even know I had a vitamin C level! But, now that I know about SAD, I have a ready excuse whenever I feel ‘moody.’
The gospel of John uses light imagery a lot. We find it often in the passages we read this season, during Lent and on Easter. Hopefully every Christian some time in their lives will attend a sunrise service on Easter morning. Yesterday, as we visited our youngest granddaughter’s school to hear her presentation during their chapel service, our son-in-law shared with me his own memories of attending a sunrise Easter morning service in Sydney, Australia. I don’t recall whether or not he used the word ‘magic,’ but it was obvious that service had made a lasting impression.
Spring is a time of increasingly early sunrises. Each day begins earlier and ends later. Concurrently, green shoots are emerging from the dormancy of winter. Each morning, as I go out to get the newspaper, I hear more and more bird songs. Spring is a time of rebirth, regeneration for our world.
For Christians, this is a season of mixed emotions. Lent is our time of preparation. We hear the familiar stories. We heard the birth stories during Advent and at Christmas. Now we hear the stories of Jesus’ ministry and his journey toward the Cross. Soon, we will experience the joyous, triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Celebration, joy, exhilaration. Magic and light.
But, that week will also recall betrayal, denial, suffering and Crucifixion. Passion Week is a rollercoaster ride of emotional highs and lows. But, at the end of it all, there is the Empty Tomb. There is the joy of sunrise on Easter Morning. There is the joy of John 1:3-5. There is the magic of light. And, I will be reminded of those now long-gone-by fireflies, those tiny pinpricks of light dancing among the bushes in our backyard when I was very young. Magic exists and is real.
Stay safe, enjoy the magic, trust God,
Pastor Ray