Children of the Light

Jesus said, “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 12:27-36 

The heat came on very quickly yesterday. A freak heatwave in April when it had snowed at the beginning of the month. Windows were flung open and all sorts of people were walking around in shorts and summer outfits. It is truly just a moment, a glimpse of summer in a very long and cold winter. It will get much cooler again and the leaves have not sprouted on the trees, but the possibility of warmth and light got everybody's attention. It was a good day to talk about the weather and many people express complete gratitude.

Jesus was praying and the crowd heard thunder, not conversation. The promise of God became to them a weather phenomenon. We can hear and see what we want to, and can miss God's promise in the conversation. Jesus called them the children of light but they wanted to know what laws to follow. When the sun shines, children run outside, play in the grass and delight in the gifts we have been given. They know how to delight in the blessings and invite us to do the same.

I ask God to help me rejoice in being a child of the light. Help us all to welcome the signs and promises that we see and know around us. May we be true children and delight in the gifts we have been given as we go deeper into this Holy Week.