And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years.”
Genesis 1:14 (ESV)
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12 (ESV)
It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed.
Luke 23:44-45 (ESV)
For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 1 Thessalonians 5 (ESV)
Without a doubt, spring is my favorite season. As we drive the route to our church I marvel at the number of colors. The pink-red of the redbuds, the white flowers of the dogwood, the pink blossoms of the cherry trees. Tulips, magnolias and azaleas. I am amazed at the many colors of green I can see: the rich, dark green of emerging grass; the bright colors of the elms and pecan that contrast with the deeper green of the magnolias and pines, and in my part of the world, the gossamer clouds of pollen that appears yellow-green against the blue.
Most major holidays have some connection to the changing of seasons. Since the days following the winter solstice gradually become longer and less dark, late December was ideal symbolism for Christmas celebrating the birth of “the light of the world” as stated in the Gospel of John. Similar was the case with Easter, which falls in close proximity to another key point in the solar year: the vernal equinox, when there are equal periods of light and darkness. It’s these lengthening periods of light that cause the beauties of spring. Easter is the most real expression of the changing of seasons. Before His resurrection the world was most like a winter’s day: Cold. Gray. Foreboding. Dark.
Much is written in Scripture about light and dark, from Genesis through Revelation. Light is real. It is frequencies of waves of different lengths depending on the color, and oh what colors! Light is measurable. It can be dim like a sunrise, or bright as the noonday sun. But it is a real thing. Dark is not. It is the absence of light. It is nothing.
But Jesus said, “I am the light of the world…..” At His death, darkness covered the earth. But at His resurrection, the light of the world lives again, forever.
What we are told in the Scripture is that we, the children of God are real, tangible beings, we are “children of light.” Our brightness, our intensity may wax or wane, but it is real. The lost are, indeed, not ever to be real. They are ghosts of reality, or better said, the absence of reality.
As we enter Holy Week, may we all spread our light to the rest of the world. May we show them true light of eternal life through Him who reigns.
He is risen!!!
