Father of Lights 2nd January Read: James 1:17-18 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17 (NIV)
I remember when younger watching ‘I Dream of Jeannie’. I was captivated by this 2,000-year-old genie, Jeannie, who lived in a bottle and could grant wishes to whoever looked after the bottle. She was discovered by an astronaut, captain Tony Nelson, whom she ended up falling in love with. Overall, there were 139 episodes of this from 1965-1970 and re-runs have been played repeatedly. If you have never seen this show – it is a lot of fun! Sometimes people treat God like a genie; you pray to Him and He grants wishes. Unlike a genie, God is the Creator of the world, He is the ‘Father of Lights’ creating the sun, moon and stars, but is also the source of everything that is good, true and pure.
Unlike the stars, sun and moon which shift into darkness or change, God is eternally consistent in His faithfulness and in wanting the best for all His children. So therefore, “every good and perfect gift is from above.” In this gift giving, was the greatest gift humanity could ever receive; the gift of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, who suffered pain and death, but whom God raised on the third day to overcome all darkness.
We now live in the glorious light of the resurrection receiving eternal life with our Heavenly Father. God is generous and good and only good things can come from God. It is our sin and our humanness that causes things to go wrong. We then rely on God’s grace to set all things right again. “How great are God’s riches! How deep are his wisdom and knowledge! Who can explain his decisions?
Who can understand his ways? As the scripture says, “Who knows the mind of the Lord? Who is able to give him advice? Who has ever given him anything, so that he had to pay it back?” For all things were created by him, and all things exist through him and for him. To God be the glory forever! Amen.” (Romans 11:33-36 GNT) Our Lord never changes with His love for us!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are the Lord of all creation and the ‘Father of Lights’ producing everything good and right for the world. Thank you for your gracious gifts and your goodness to me. Amen
God’s L.E.D. Light New Year’s Day (1st January) Read: 2 Timothy 1:7-10 “This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” 2 Timothy 1:9b-10 (NIV)
In 1960, the first low-powered LED lights were developed. But in 1968, they were developed commercially by Howard C. Borden and Gerald P. Pigini and put into a Hewlett-Packard product. LED is an acronym for Light-Emitting Diodes. They have become more popular in use as they are more energy-efficient (often 75% less), long-lasting (can last for tens of thousands of hours) and versatile (comes in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes). Electricity passes through a small microchip which causes it to glow brightly and are cool to the touch. I like to think that God’s light is L.E.D. – Lighting Extreme Darkness!
He is also our Light-Emitting Diode – energy-efficient (God loves us unconditonally), long-lasting (eternity), and versatile (for all people everywhere). God sent Jesus to earth, which had been planned from the beginning of the world, no one just knew when. The Old Testament foretold the coming of a Saviour, but until it happened in a blaze of light from heaven, no one believed it! Jesus came to earth in a burst of light from the angels and in all the pictures of nativity scenes we see the light from the star (which led the wisemen), shining brightly on the manger. I love the brightness that surrounded the birth of Jesus. Jesus came to an earth filled with the darkness of sin, and hope lay in the acceptance of sacrifices. Jesus became the sacrifice for our sin and brought hope to a darkened world.
His sacrifice paid the debt of our sin and unworthiness once and for all and we can now approach God directly and receive His love and forgiveness without question whether we are good enough. Today is the beginning of a New Year.
Treat this year as a new beginning to work on your relationship with God – read about Him in the Bible and get to know Him better. Make some new resolutions to grow your family in a new life with Jesus! Jesus is the light of the world, and He brings transformation in people’s lives. Grow in the LED light – Jesus Lights Extreme Darkness!
Prayer: Jesus, you brought light to my life when I was brought to you in my baptism. Shine your light into my heart and help me to grow deeper in my knowledge of you. Amen.
Kingdom of Light New Year’s Eve (31st December) Read: Colossians 1:9-14 “… giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.” Colossians 1:12 (NIV)
It is New Year’s Eve. What are you doing tonight to celebrate the passing of the old year and the beginning of the new year? Last year my family walked down to the Noosa River, with hundreds of others and watched the fireworks burst over the Tewantin Marina. To get to the river we had to walk along some unlit paths through the nearby bush. It was dark! We took torches, but one of our sons said to not put them on and let your eyes adjust to the darkness. It is amazing how eyes do adjust to try to take in as much outside light as they can. The above verse talks of the Kingdom of Light, and the opposite is mentioned in the next verse as the “…dominion of darkness”.
Paul in Colossians tells the believers in Colossae that through their learning and knowledge of Jesus they are being brought from darkness into the kingdom of God’s light. It is here that they will find forgiveness, love, acceptance and all the promises of salvation. In Jesus coming to earth, God sent His love through His only Son. He gave His Son to the world and allowed Jesus to live and become a human. (We celebrated His birth to a human family at Christmas). In Jesus living in the world, He became one of us, but He never let the darkness of sin be a part of His life. He was God’s Son, holy and righteous.
But our sin affected Him in then choosing to die for us and our salvation that we may live in the light. Jesus took the darkness of the world (the dominion of darkness) away from us. He made us clean so that we now live only in the light of God’s love. Sometimes we may feel that we can’t see God, or that the darkness around us is too dark. Let your eyes adjust and pray for God’s light to show the way – God’s light can shine through any and all darkness. The Kingdom of light is where I want to be.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for not allowing me to stumble in the darkness, but that you bring light and love into my heart and life. Let me shine that light out brightly so others can also find their way. Amen
Candlelit Candelabra 30th December Read: Ephesians 5:8-14 “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light…” Ephesians 5:8 (NIV)
In 1991 I spent five months nannying for two children in Monmouth, Wales. I went from teaching year five in Mt Barker to looking after a 3 ½ year old and nine-month-old. They were children needing a lot of love and attention and I had them from 7am to 7pm, six days a week. The family was very generous, and I was invited to all family occasions. It was an old house, couple hundred years old, with six bathrooms, many bedrooms and a round staircase complete with a ghost I was told. For special occasions dinner was held in a total electricity-free dining room only lit by a large suspended candlelit candelabra. It was magical with the play between the darkness and the light cast by the candles. Before electricity, candles and oil lamps were needed to produce light in the darkness. If attention was not taken to keeping the candles lit and the oil filled, you could find yourself in darkness.
Darkness is sneaky and tends to sneak up on the unsuspecting. The vigilant housekeeper in Monmouth oversaw keeping the candles lit. If the candelabra went out, candles on the table needed to be lit. Darkness is scary, and to be in the dark without a Saviour is even worse. In the Ephesians text in verse 9, we are told what the fruits are to be in our lives for living in the light: goodness, righteousness and truth. Paul tells us in the Bible passage that we are to not live in the darkness, for many sinful things are done in the dark. Rather we are to expose the evil and repent and bring it all into the light of God’s love and forgiveness where everything is visible.
God wants us to be His children who live in His light; knowing a loving, compassionate Father that we can come to at any time and be assured that we will be heard and forgiven. So, be open with your relationship with Jesus – tell Him all and don’t let the darkness sneak up. Be enlightened and live in the Light! Prayer: With you, my Saviour, there is no darkness, only light. Help me to be vigilant to keep my light burning and not let the darkness creep into my life. Guide me in your way! Amen
Shining God’s Light 29th December Read: 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 “For God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6 (NIV)
“In the beginning there was nothing, God said ‘Let there be light!’ There was still nothing, but now you could see it.” When on a Lutheran Youth Encounter Team in America, our team often had to lead ‘lock-ins’ – overnight youth sleepover in a church where they were locked in. There were games, pizza, study and discussion and a little bit of sleep! One of the favourite games for a lock-in was ‘Sardines’. One person went to hide, and everyone had to find them. When they were found, they had to hide with them, and it kept going until the last person found the whole group trying to hide in the same place all squished together. Torches were not allowed, and we had to keep very quiet. 10-15 people squished in one hiding spot were usually found – the noise was enough.
The faces of the youth shone with laughter and joy, and we had to allow time for our eyes to adjust to the light after being in darkness for so long. I enjoyed these games and the time to talk. Many times, there were some in the group who did not know who Jesus was, and spending time together grew the friendships and by the end you could see the light of the knowledge of Jesus shining in their eyes.
When we know Jesus and the saving love of our Lord and Saviour our face shows the glory of God. It shines brightly. There are many in the world living in darkness without knowing about Jesus. God said: ‘Let there be light’. We can relate this to let there be light in our lives and hearts enough that we shine out His glory. Sometimes it is much easier to hide especially in a group and not tell others about our faith. We hide in the dark with the others even though we know the truth about Jesus. Maybe it is time to find all those ‘lost’ in the dark and bring them into the light of Jesus.
We won’t need a torch – our face will show enough light! Hiding in the dark can be fun, but enjoying Jesus’ light in community is better! Prayer: Lord Jesus, let my face show and shine out to others the knowledge and love I have in you. Help me not to hide my light in dark places, but to shine it out for all to see. Amen
Proclaiming Light 28th December Read: Acts 26:19-23 “But I have had God’s help to this very day, and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen – that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise form the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles.” Acts 26:22-23 (NIV)
One evening, a man took a small candle from a box and began to climb a long, winding stairway. “Where are we going?” asked the candle. “We’re going up higher than a house to show the ships the way to the harbour.” “But no ship in the harbour could ever see my light,” the candle said. “It is so very small.” “If your light is small,” the man said, “just keep on burning brightly and leave the rest to me.”
When they reached the top of the long stairs, they came to a large lamp. Then he took the little candle and lit the lamp. Soon, the large, polished mirrors behind the lamp sent beams of light out across the miles of the sea. A blinding light brought Paul to acknowledging Jesus as God’s Son and then became one of the greatest evangelists sharing the Gospel and encouraging new churches and congregations in the faith. Paul had his share of difficulties: arrested, beaten, stoned, thrown into prison, shipwrecked, bitten by a poisonous snake and had a physical malady, his ‘thorn in the flesh’. But his faith in Jesus never wavered, even when he addressed King Agrippa in Acts 26. Paul shared the Gospel at all times and in all circumstances.
Even in times of difficulty and persecution, Paul told of his Saviour Jesus, hoping to bring more to know Him. In the above story of the candle, we also may feel that we are only just a little light in the big world, how can we make a difference. But we are God’s candle, and it is our job to keep shining. Just like Paul. The result of this shining is in God’s hands. A tiny candle or match can start a forest fire.
The little flame of your good example can change people’s lives without you even knowing. Be a light to them like the beacon in the story that guided ships to safe harbour. Shine brightly to others that they may see you and then give glory to God. Prayer: Dear Jesus, allow my small light to shine brightly that others can see you. Encourage me to grow through learning more about you and your love so that I can share it more confidently. Amen.
The Light for Everyone 27th December Read: Acts 13:44-49 “For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” Acts 13:47 (NIV)
I lead a KYB (Know Your Bible) group in our church. During term two we were studying about ‘Jesus of Nazareth, God and Man’. It was eye-opening to not just me but the entire group, all the prophecies that have been told about Jesus that are now fulfilled with His coming to earth as a human. One of them is the above, with Paul and Barnabas quoting Simeon, prophesising about Jesus when he was 40 days old: this child will be “…a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” (Luke 2:32) Jesus came first and foremost to the Jews, the people of Israel, to lead them to knowing their God and His Son Jesus, to bring them all salvation. But, the Jews (people of Israel) rejected Jesus, and put Him to death on the cross.
They didn’t believe that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God who had come into the world to deliver everyone from their sins. Orthodox Jews are still waiting for their Messiah to come. When the Jews rejected Jesus, the above prophecy came true, that Jesus was coming to deliver all people (the Gentiles – non-Jews) from darkness leading them into the light of God’s forgiveness and love bringing them salvation. God’s love and forgiveness is for everyone and God desires, “…all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
(1 Timothy 2:4 NIV) Even when Paul and Barnabas were speaking to the Jews in Antioch, the Jews were filled with jealousy that he had so many listening to him. They were also rude and abusive. Others who were there listening (Gentiles) were glad to know that God is a God for all and they honoured the Word of God. There will always be those who reject the Word of God, but don’t let that stop you from talking to people about the light of Christ that has come into your life. To become a Christian, one must first hear about Jesus! Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are the light that has come into the world to bring all people to know your love and receive eternal life. Guide me to share your Gospel freely to others from all walks of life. Amen
Children of the Light 26th December Read: John 12:35-36 Jesus said: “Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” John 12:36a (NIV-UK)
Light. We are fascinated with it, captivated by sunlight coming through tree branches, wonder at the light of the rainbow after a storm, marvel at the flashes of lightning that light up the sky, and lie out under the stars that twinkle at night. God has given us so many natural lights to enjoy and to use to see the world around us. God has also given us the talents to make light: fire, electric lights, neon lights, fireworks, and LED lights. What does it mean when Jesus said He wants us to “…become children of light”? Light is the absence of darkness.
So, where there is light, there is no darkness. There are so many references in the Bible to light and darkness: Genesis 1:3-5; John 1:5; Ephesians 5:8 and 1 John 1:5, are a just a couple you may want to look up. The Bible uses the light and darkness as powerful metaphors to represent good and evil, truth and falsehood and when God is present and when He is absent. Jesus came into the world at Christmas bringing light to everyone. This light brought the love, grace, peace and forgiveness of a loving God. No longer would people have to wander around being concerned about their salvation. With Jesus in our lives, our hope and futures are assured. Jesus has brought the light of God to the world – the goodness and forgiveness from all wrongdoings. He now wants us to live as “…children of light”, living in the presence of a loving God. Living in darkness is to be living in a world without the love, light and forgiveness of God.
I don’t want to live like that. It is up to us to share this light with those who are in darkness, to shed hope and the gift of grace and love with those who live without hope. Be God’s children of light in a darkened world. Jesus has come into the world bringing light and love at Christmas. Live as children of the light! Prayer: Loving Father, you brought light into the darkened world when you sent your son Jesus at Christmas. Help me to live every day in this light and shine it into other people’s darkened lives. Amen.
Jesus is the Light Christmas Day Read: John 9:4-5 Jesus said: “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:5 (NIV)
Once upon a time, in a land shrouded in winter’s darkness, there lived a young boy named Elias. His village was preparing for the annual Festival of Lights, a celebration of the longest night of the year, when the sun would begin its return. Elias, however, felt a deep sadness. His family had recently suffered a loss, and the festive lights seemed to mock his grief. One evening, as the first stars began to appear, Elias wandered away from the village. He found himself at the edge of a dark forest, feeling utterly alone. Suddenly, he noticed a faint light flickering in the distance. Following the light, he discovered a small, humble cottage. An old woman with kind eyes sat beside a crackling fire, her face illuminated by the flames.
“Why are you so sad, child?” she asked gently. Elias explained his sorrow. The old woman listened patiently, then smiled. “The lights of the Festival of Lights are meant to remind us that even in the darkest times, there is always a light within us, and there is always a light to guide us.” She pointed to the fire, then to the star-filled sky. “Just as those lights shine, so does the hope and love that God offers us.” She then told him the Christmas story: how the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, how she gave birth to Jesus, the Light of the World, in a stable, and how the star led the Wise Men to Bethlehem. She explained that Jesus’ birth brought hope and forgiveness, a light to guide people out of darkness and despair. When Elias returned to the village, he saw the lights in a new way. He joined in the festivities, sharing the story of Jesus’ birth with others and encouraging them to look for the light of Jesus coming to the world.
Elias now understood that Christmas wasn’t just about the lights that adorned the village, but about the light of God’s love, hope, and peace that shone within his heart. Bring the light of Jesus to someone’s life today! Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to share the story of Christmas bringing light and hope to other’s lives. Shine your light in my life that others may see you. Amen.