A Light in the Darkness

On a home project, have you ever had trouble finding just the right thing that matches what you have in mind?

Last year I bought some outdoor lights I hung on my back fence. Loved them. They were solar powered a cozy warm white color that gave out just the right amount of light. They were perfect—until they weren’t perfect anymore. After a while (too short a while I thought!) the bulbs on a third of the strand were dim. So, I bought another set of solar lights but this time the bulbs were colored lights. I didn’t like them as much as I did the glow of warm lights.

Now I’ve got a set of electric powered warm white lights that are lined up along my fence like toy soldiers. And boy are they ever bright. They glow with so much light that it looks like I’m expecting a plane to land.

My thoughts about light in the darkness reminds me of what I’ve been learning. Some friends and I have been meeting to study the book of John. This book is a perfect place to start for anyone who wants to get closer to Jesus. Regardless if one is a new believer or has studied the Bible for decades.

When I read the book of John, I’m aware of how special it is. John was an eyewitness to the events in the life of Jesus. He relates what he saw and heard in a way that is full of detail, authenticity and love. And John saw it all up close and personal. He, along with his big brother James, and friend Peter were what is sometimes called Jesus’s inner circle. These three were with Jesus at important moments like the transfiguration and the garden of Gethsemane. And amazingly, John himself did not write about either of these events, although they are recorded in the other three gospels. The only way John singles himself out is when he writes about resurrection morning when he and Peter run to look into the empty tomb. But even then, John refers to himself as the “disciple whom Jesus loved” in John 20:2. It is as if that was the most wonderful description John could ever image for himself.

John, the disciple Jesus loved, tells me in the opening verses of the gospel he wrote that Jesus is the light of men. That the light of Jesus shines in the darkness. That Jesus is the true light in the world that enlightens man. What a great place for John to begin this book. Right away we see the light of Jesus is pure holiness, pure truth, and pure light where no darkness exists. No one needs to stay in spiritual darkness. All can come to The Light.

John is going to reveal who Jesus is in this book: The light, the lamb, the miracle worker, the living water, the good shepherd, the door, the shepherd, and the Son of God.

A great adventure is ahead for us!

In Him,

Carla Killough McClafferty