Walk While You Have the Light

Among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
"Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say-- `Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. The crowd answered him, "We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?" Jesus said to them, "The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light."
After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them. John 12:20-36

The past few days have been a flurry of arrangements for my Mom's funeral. She walked on into the light, into new eternal life leaving us to mourn as we send her on.  My sister and brother and I worked together on the arrangements, and now we await family and friends from far and near. My mother was very loved by generations of people. She was not a professional pastor, but her influence, guidance and loving touch was felt across the miles. She treated everyone as a beloved child of God She walked in the light on this earth, by sharing love, by serving the least and by laughing and smiling through every challange.

Jesus was at the end of his mortal life. He was also quickly becoming an enemy of the temple and the state. He announced that everyone was and could be a child of God. The temple, state and cultural dictates for who was acceptable were abolished by him, and it made those in control angry. Jesus promised there was more life and light on this earth and in the world to come. We are invited to walk along in the light, trusting that the world's darkness will not consume us, trusting that God has more for us than these present days of sorrow.

Today I ask God for that sweet light that reminds us all of our beloved-ness. May we all walk together as children of God, walking in the light of God's abundant love. May we see the Creator joining us in our pain and sorrow as well as in the moments of laughter and celebration.