Thought for Today

Genesis 10:2 The descendants of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.  

Genesis 14:1 In the days of King Amraphel of Shinar, King Arioch of Ellasar, King Chedorlaomer of Elam, and King Tidal of Goiim,  

Luke 20:25 "Then give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's."  

John 5:39 "You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. 40 Yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

This morning, I remain fascinated by “ever-flowing channels of the miracle of light.” (These Days, September 15, 2025) I find myself continuously thinking about what sort of world we might have if all of God’s children became “ever-flowing channels of the miracle of light.” Would we have a world where God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven? Would there be competing nations? Would we have, or even need, governments, police forces, militaries?

I suspect that every authoritarian leader, from Magog and Tidal to the dictators of the 21st century has believed that if everyone would just obey and follow that leader’s dictates, the world would be a better place, at peace. Everyone would receive their just desserts. George Orwell understood the authoritarian mind when he penned "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others" in Animal Farm.

Reflect on those words compared to Thomas Jefferson’s words in our Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Would a world inhabited solely by God’s children who are “ever-flowing channels of the miracle of light” finally be the sort of world Jefferson imagined? Would it be a world where all could equally access and enjoy those unalienable Rights? While I am asking myself (and my readers) questions, how does any or all of this relate to our Christian faith and belief?

First, “the miracle of light” means to me the understanding of the Messiah in terms of the beginning of the gospel of John. “1:3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. 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.” John rightly understood Jesus, the Christ, as the light of all people. For us to become “ever-flowing channels of the miracle of light,” we must then become like Jesus.

It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the Incarnation brought about some radically new understanding of our relationship with our Creator God. It did not. The Incarnation was a demonstration, an example, of God’s radical love for God’s Creation. The understanding of our relationship with our Creator God is as old as the Creation narratives in Genesis. It was most succinctly captured for me in Micah 6:8, “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Ever-flowing channels of the miracle of light would carry justice, kindness, humility and love all throughout God’s Creation.

How do God’s children accomplish that goal? We cannot do so all on our own. We have tried. We have failed. The League of Nations collapsed. The United Nations continues to try; but, it is crippled by conflicting interests and its impotence. Qoheleth captured humanity’s ineffectiveness in Ecclesiastes. “1:2 Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” The Greek word ματαιότης translated as ‘vanity’ has the basic meaning of nonsense, nothingness, emptiness (Friberg, Analytical Greek Lexicon) Our attempts to become ever-flowing channels of the miracle of light all on our own have been vain, ineffective, futile failures.

So, God sent the Christ to show us the way. The Christ was the living example of good, of doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with our God. If humanity would, could, accept Jesus as our role model, we can become those ever-flowing channels of the miracle of light. Imagine what a wonderful world that would be.

Stay safe, accept Jesus as your role model, trust God,

Pastor Ray