Child 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 

As a photographer, I am always fascinated with light and shadow, how they change each day and by the season, and how we react to light in our lives. When we lived in Alaska, many people were vitamin D deficient, so much so that our physician recommended we take supplements daily. Light is essential to growth and health. Without light we stumble and fall. We need light to be light and strong in the face of many shadows.

Jesus is being very honest and frank with his disciples. They are extremely uncomfortable with the idea of impending violence. Their world, like ours, was one of daily, impending violence. And this was personal for them since he was talking about himself, and their beloved teacher and friend. They were overwhelmed with fear and emotion. Yet they were being called beyond their fear and loss, to be children of light. And we are called by God to be children of light in the midst of darkness and scary days. 

Today, I ask God to help me walk as a child of the light. Let us all, no matter how dark and treacherous the days ahead, bring the light of love to a world that desperately needs light and love.