It was pitch black. I was cycling on a path a the side of a river when the my front light ran out of battery. Rivers don’t run in a straight line, so I had to slow down and hope I was going in the right direction.
Needless to say, light can be a pretty welcome addition. And during Advent and Christmas, much of the symbolism involves light.
With shorter days and lots of darkness (at least here in Britain), Christmas light really brighten things up.
Some people go to great, intricate lengths to decorate their houses with bulbs, while high streets use them to entice shoppers. Churches are often resplendent with candles and the (Church of England) Children’s Society has popularised Christingle services for children over the past 50 years (think oranges with sweets and a candle stuck in them).
Light is an important concept to Christians. Here are three key mentions of its in the Bible.
1. Jesus is the light of the world
The key idea is found in John 8:12 (NLT). Jesus says:
I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.
Just I need my little battery powered bike light to avoid falling into the water, we need Jesus’s light because in a broken and sinful world, our creator wants to to guide us.
As John Wesley put it: “He that closely, humbly, steadily follows [Jesus], shall have the Divine light continually shining upon him, diffusing over his soul knowledge, holiness, joy, till he is guided by it to life everlasting.”
2. We are to be Christ-like
Just as Jesus is our light, we are to be a light to others. In Matthew 5 (NIV), Jesus tells his disciples:
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
As Christians, Jesus calls us to behave in a way that emulates him.
3. We should turn to the light in times of difficulty
The psalmist in Psalm 119 makes clear he has some troubles. He refers to having “enemies”, receiving “scorn and contempt” and being on the receiving end of “slander”. He even mentions “the disgrace I dread”.
But despite having worries – and everyone has some: it’s a result of a fallen world – the psalmist realises how to orientate his thinking. In a section of the text titled “Mem” meaning “water”, he says (in the New Living Translation):
How sweet your words taste to me;
they are sweeter than honey.
Your commandments give me understanding;
no wonder I hate every false way of life.
Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
and a light for my path.
The theme is picked up by the 1988 Christian song Holy and Anointed One (which you can listen to below). It centres around these similar words:
Your name is like honey on my lips,
Your spirit like water to my soul
Your word is a lamp unto my feet,
Jesus I love You, I love You.
The notes in the Biblical Theology Study Bible (by Don Carson et al) link talk of a lamp in the Psalms to the pillar of fire that God provides the Israelites during Exodus to be able to travel at night. They were fleeing slavery and were now in a desert!