Looking to the LIGHT

 

Thursday, February 17, 2022

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love?  Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?  (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”)  No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.  And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.  Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.  No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:35-39

Apostle Paul was convinced beyond the shadows of circumstance, that light was not gone, but was just getting started.  In the physical realm, the presence of shadows is only possible if there is light.  When light shines on something, a shadow must be on the other side.  This tells us we must look to the light if we are not to stumble in the darkness of the shadows. 

This analogy holds-up in the transfer from physical to metaphysical.  God is light, the essence of goodness and truth.  If we look away from God, we will be facing the darkness.  Paul declared that no force on earth, or in the heavens, can ever truly separate us from God, not demons, fears, nor even death.  But we can choose to look away from God, and the result is living in darkness. 

In the aftermath of two years’ grappling with COVID-19, and now OMICRON, and the associated darkening realities of life in the not-so-roaring 20’s, with resources reducing in an anemic economy resembling storm clouds, face coverings hiding smiles (if there are any), and social distancing pushing us further away from social fellowship, it is more difficult than ever to imagine there IS light to which we can look.  

Just as Darth Vader (the representative of evil in Star Wars) beckoned his estranged son, Luke Skywalker (representing naïve humankind) to follow him to the dark side, the dark times of 2022 would have us cave-in to our lower nature, becoming children of the shadows. 

These are dark times, indeed.  But Scripture constantly urges us to keep our focus on the light of God’s truth, because living in darkness is so much below what God has planned for us.  And that plan is for His love to have us walk in truth and light, the source of all hope, filled with glorious, inexpressible joy.[1]

For You Today

Christ declared that He is the light that came to dispel the darkness.  He taught us it would be an inside-job, a light that dwells within you, so you can reflect His glory.  So…look to the light, Christian.  No matter the circumstances, criticisms, or changes that come…turn-away from the shadows and look to the light of He who will lead you home to glory.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title and other images:  Pixabay.com    Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

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[1] See 1 Peter 1:8

Dying in Winter...Rising in Faith

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Thursday, All Hallows Eve, October 31, 2019

(the beginning of All Hallows Tide)

Then this message came to Jeremiah from the Lord:  “This is what the Lord says:  If you can break my covenant with the day and the night so that one does not follow the other, only then will my covenant with my servant David be broken.  

The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah.  He said, “Have you noticed what people are saying?—‘The Lord chose Judah and Israel and then abandoned them!’  They are sneering and saying that Israel is not worthy to be counted as a nation.  But this is what the Lord says:  I would no more reject my people than I would change my laws that govern night and day, earth and sky.   Jeremiah 33 (selected passages)

Predatory behavior which takes advantage of public opinion and fears is what bullies do.  From the dawn of humankind’s existence there have been those who act this way, seizing on opportunities to put God in the background, and put themselves in charge.  It’s a form of Trick-or-Treat; the trick is the naysayers get to be in God’s place, while the treat is those tricked get to breathe a sigh of relief…false as the promises might be.

Masking and costumes are a way of attempting to diffuse the terror relationship we humans have with our mortality.  Among some of the ancient Celtic traditions is the practice of impersonating terrifying mythical creatures as a means of dissipating fear of the unknown.  Many pagan celebrations at this time of year are meant to stave-off the harsh impact of winter.  By imitating death with masks, it was thought to hold back the coming cold bleakness.  But, as with whistling in the dark, making light of reality changes nothing.  Ghost and goblin masks on children don’t have a chance against death.

For the church, today is the evening vigil before All Saints Day (All Hallows Eve or Hallowe’en), and begins three day’s observance of departed believers, ending on All Souls Day (the entire celebration is called All Hallows Tide[2]).  The central focus is on the faith which is common to both the church here on earth, and the church triumphant, those already in the presence of our Lord.

I would get disagreement on both sides of this argument (probably from both believers and pagans), but neither Halloween, nor horror movies scare me.  Nor does the practice of Trick-or-Treat bother me.  In my parents’ generation (Great Depression era), and in their part of the world, the cultural norm for the practice was not on October 31^st, but closer to Thanksgiving, when the children would go door to door.  Their phrase, with outstretched little palms, was Pennies for Thanksgiving.  (Well…it was a long time ago; today it would be 10-Bucks for Turkey Day)

Whether one is bothered by the holiday frenzy with Trick-or-Treating, or simply glad the children get to dress-up and have a ball, there is one matter that concerns (at least) me; I fear we have dropped the ball in the cycle of the Christian Year.  Our disconnect from a sacred observance of triumph over death (ironically celebrated in the culture by holding up death as the ultimate celebrity) further serves to isolate our culture’s children from the genuine cure for our morbid fears…Christ’s victory over death. 

It’s been fifteen years since Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion of Christ hit the big screens.  I recall watching that movie for the first time shortly after it was available on DVD; I couldn’t sleep for a week.  The depictions of the violence done to Jesus in the scourging and crucifixion gave the film an R rating.  It should have been “HS” for heart and soul-squeezing.  The sinister nature of Satan’s attempts to insert himself into Christ’s mind made any Steven King movie seem like a Sesame Street production.  In short…I bought the DVD and watch it every so often.  With our culture’s fascination with masks and unreality (Walking Dead, etc.), I want a constant reminder of reality; the Lord Jesus who never abandons me and takes all the fear out of death’s sting.

For You Today

If you’re into Trick-or-Treating you’ll get little criticism from me.  But while you’re taking your kids from door to door, don’t forget to teach them the real reason for this season!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[1] Title Image:  Wikimedia.com    Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©

[2] Read more about this here:  Wikipedia.com