Tag: light

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

He is the light

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Alexander Jawfox on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from John 8.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).

Jesus’s words made me think about sources of light.

In the bible, your source of light would be the sun or from a flame, like a candle or torch.

In addition to those, my house is filled with LED lightbulbs on tables, inside appliances, hanging from ceilings, and in nightlights. The nighttime world is lit by street lights, headlights, phone lights, and motion-sensor lights.

It’s hardly every really dark.

So what different does Jesus’s light make in a not-so-dark world?

Well, darkness isn’t always about the absence of light, is it? I can be “in the dark” when I don’t have enough information about something. Books and movies may be “dark” when they involve evil or sinister topics. Dark humor uses death or pain to get a laugh. When a lot of bad things happen, we might find ourselves in a “dark place.”

Light has a lot of metaphors, too. We might say, “Enlighten me,” when someone alludes to some information we don’t have. To “shed some light” is to explain what’s going on. “Light at the end of the tunnel” expresses optimism.

All of that adds a lot of meaning to Jesus’s simple statement, “I am the light of the world.” He brings understanding, wisdom, and hope. Darkness cannot rule because it always gives way to the dawn and a new day. He invades the darkness of the grave with restored life and light.

And when there are shadows? They are created by the light. Difficult moments are from his hand to strengthen us and cultivate a mature faith.

Jesus is the light in so many ways!

Posted in Advent devotions

Permanent light

Posted on by William Douthwaite

One of the trending decorations this Christmas season has been permanent lights for homes. I jumped on this bandwagon. Rather than re-hanging strings of lights from the edges of my roof, I now have permanent LED lights on the soffits. They will be red, green, and white for Christmas, but they will also be other colors for New Years, Valentines Day, Easter, patriotic holidays, and birthdays.

I love my pre-dawn and post-sunset walks around the neighborhood. Every year there’s a greater variety of lights, inflatables, yard signs, and projected displays on houses. Icicle lights appear to be dripping from roofs. Animated animals and snowmen wave from front Enormous spherical ornaments hang from trees. Some outdoor displays are creative. Some are tired and worn. Some look traditional. Some are abstract. But no two yards are the same.

Each brings light, reminding us of the light that Jesus brings. His light brings hope, healing, mercy, grace, and life to a world that is too often filled with dismal news.

Jesus’s light is permanent, too. It shines on our good days and bad. It’s there for times of celebration. Or times when we don’t feel like celebrating. His can never be overcome by the darkness.

The last ornament on our Jesse Tree is Jesus. The angel announce good news of great joy which will be for all people: “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). Those words were spoken to the shepherds, but the good news wasn’t only for them. It was for all people, including me and you.

Thanks for reading along this Advent and exploring the Jesse Tree with me.

Posted in Advent devotions

Catching a glimpse of Jesus

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Julia Андрэй on Unsplash

I always smile when I hear the sound of a baby in church. Whether it’s happy noises or demanding cries, I love the sound of infants in worship. When I was preaching, I knew I’d have to turn up the volume. Sitting behind a little one meant I would have a hard time concentrating on the pastor’s message. Vibrations from down below let me know I better speed up the baptism and hand that one back to mom. A loud burp from the back row announced a good meal was finished and a nap would soon follow.

Simeon was in the temple when Joseph and Mary brought the one-month old Jesus for presentation. The Holy Spirit promised Simeon he would not die until he saw the Christ (Luke 2:26). Where would he see the Messiah? Would he see a baby or a grown-up?

He had no idea until Jesus’s parents brought him into the temple that day. And then knew. Simeon took the baby in his arms, blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation” (Luke 2:29,30).

It’s a powerful moment. Suddenly, Simeon is no longer immortal. He has seen the Christ, and one day would see death. On the other hand, having seen the one who defeated death, Simeon would not perish but have everlasting life.

The baby Jesus was fully human, and he would one day die. He was also fully divine, and he would be raised to life on the third day. Because of all he came to be and do, believers embrace both mortality and resurrection, too.

We are reminded of that truth whenever we catch a sight of Jesus. Sometimes our Lord looks like someone we can help with food or shelter. Other times, he looks like one who brings healing to our lives. His glory might peek out from behind the clouds. Sometimes it fills a dark starry night. It might be a bite of bread and sip of wine. Or a friend who wipes away a tear on his behalf.

Simeon gets an ornament on the Jesse Tree. He faithfully waited for, saw the light, and boldly proclaimed Christ’s arrival.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Wow, that’s bright!

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by asim alnamat on pexels.com

A “through the bible” devotion from Exodus 34.

In an episode of Friends, Ross decides to whiten his teeth to look his best for a date. But he leaves the whitening substances on for a whole day, and his teeth turn unnaturally white. No matter what color shirt he tries, none of them distract from the brightness of his teeth. Somehow he makes it through dinner without opening his mouth. But when his date turns off the lights, the black lights in the room make his teeth glow insanely white! (Check out the clip here.)

Just like Moses’ face after he’s been speaking with God.

“Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with [God]. So when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to approach him (Exodus 34:29-30). Moses had to put a veil over his face after he had been talking with God, so people could look at him.

We know Moses had a unique relationship with God. “Since that time no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face” (Deuteronomy 34:10). But do you think someone can tell that I’ve spent time with God? I think so.

The prophet Isaiah said, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you” (Isaiah 60:1). When Jesus, the “light of the world” comes, he’s not the only one who shines. Our lives reflect his brightness, in the positive, merciful, and helpful things we do.

Wouldn’t it be something if suddenly a whole lot of people needed sunglasses because God’s people reflected so much of his light?

Posted in faith, Life

A distant memory: the incandescent light bulb

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Every morning I draw a small picture in my journal about something that stood out in my daily devotions. I usually copy something I’ll find online. Today, since I read Matthew 5, I looked for a drawing of salt and light. I found many to choose from.

Today I noticed that most of the sketches about being the light of the world are incandescent light bulbs. You remember incandescent lightbulbs, don’t you? They feature a filament with enough resistance to glow and fill a room with light. They burn hot, too. Let them cool before you replace one. Incandescent bulbs were banned in the US in last year (2023), although you can still buy them online.

They first gave way to compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFL). They came in all kinds of spiral-y, twisty shapes to fit where incandescent bulbs once did. It usually took a few moments for them to reach full brightness. I think we still have some in our home, probably in the ceiling fan lights. They were cool to the touch. They were discontinued because of disposal and recycling challenges.

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are what we uise today. They are smaller, use less power, glow in different colors, and last a long time. Our world is lit with LEDs.

When Jesus said, “You are the light of the world,” his audience would have thought of a flame that burned from the wick of an oil lamp. It would be about 1,800 years before the invention of a lightbulb.

So since you are (according to Jesus) the “light of the world,” what kind of bulb are you? Old school Thomas Edison incandescent? Curly avant-garde CFL? Cutting-edge LED? Ancient oil lamp?

It doesn’t matter. Just be light.

Posted in Moments of grace

It’s not very dark at night

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Meet Gada on Unsplash

Yesterday, I noticed the dark, the quiet, and the solitude of my predawn morning walk. Today, I noticed the lights.

  • The night sky is filled with lights: the moon, stars, a few planets, and the red and green of an airplane far overhead.
  • Street lights extend from utility poles light up some of the intersections as well as random stretches of road in the neighborhood.
  • I’m surprised at how many homes keep the lights on each side of the garage or atop a front walk lamppost lit all night long. They are bright, illuminating the driveway and the cars parked there. Security lights shine into every corners of backyards.
  • You’ll also see a lit up doorbell on most homes. A tiny little light just to the side of the front door is on all the time, but you’ll only notice it at night.
  • Those who support law enforcement display a blue light on the front of the house.
  • Solar-powered landscape lights are still on, lining driveways and front walkways. Sometimes they shine lights up onto trees and the side of houses, creating interesting shadows.
  • Sometimes I’ll see a single red light on the side of a house, near an electric meter. It must alert someone that something is working correctly. Or not. Who knows?
  • Just above the trees I can see the tall lights above the soccer and baseball fields. The action begins early on tournament weekends.
  • I carry my flashlight when it’s dark. Some walkers and bikers wear flashing red or green lights so passing cars don’t miss them.
  • I can see tiny blue or green alarm lights flashing inside parked cars. they are armed and ready.
  • Today, the headlights of a car delivering newspapers (two people on my block still get a paper delivered) roared past me before pulling sharply into my neighbor’s driveway just long enough to fling the paper somewhere in the yard. Just as quickly, his taillights disappeared around the corner.
  • Lights are on inside homes, too. Others are up at this very early hour, too. The flicker of TV screens peeks through the front window curtains.
  • Some neighbors leave their Halloween inflatables inflated and lit all night long. Strings of orange lights frame doors and lay across shrubs.
  • And appropriately, lights shine on the American flag, either from the base or the top of flagpoles.

It’s not very dark at night around here. And I’m sure we’re just a few days away from the first Christmas lights.

Posted in Lent devotions

In the dark

Posted on by William Douthwaite

“Scenes from the passion” Lent devotion for Sunday, March 28, 2021. Photo by Lucy Chian on Unsplash.

And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.  (Mk 15:33) 

It’s noon, but the sun isn’t beating down on you. I picture ominous clouds and a threatening darkness as three men slowly die by crucifixion on Golgotha. The passersby, chief priest and scribes have all left ahead of the storm, leaving Jesus and two robbers with a few soldiers who carry out the execution.

Dark clouds like that over my house are usually accompanied by alerts on my phone of severe thunderstorms in the area, lightning strikes, tornado warnings and instructions to seek cover. This is not the time to be outside. Golfers end their rounds early, roofers call it a day, surfers head in from the waves, lifeguards whistle everyone out of the pool, and I take the dog for a walk before the rain starts.

Continue reading “In the dark” →
Posted in Grace, Life

Eclipse

Posted on by William Douthwaite

ring_of_fireEveryone is pretty excited about the solar eclipse across the United States tomorrow. I really hope we get a chance to see it. Many of our Florida afternoons have been defined by clouds or thunderstorms. Weatherman says fifty percent chance of storms. Thanks, buddy –I guess we’ll just flip a coin.

Anyway, one of the unique features of a total solar eclipse is the chance to see the sun’s corona as the moon blocks most of the star. This got me thinking: what big things get in the way but also help us see other things more clearly?

Sometimes a disability may help us see another ability more clearly. Someone who’s blind may have an enhanced sense of smell or hearing. A power outage may interfere with your wifi connection, forcing you to discover the value of talking to the people you are with. An injury may force you to get the rest your body desperately needs. The class you wanted was filled, so you enrolled in one that you really enjoyed but never would have otherwise considered. A detour made you take a scenic route. You got fired, but found a job in a different field that you really liked. You got cut from one team, but tried another sport that you were really good at.

When something gets in your way, you may have the chance to see something you never noticed before. Be grateful for the darkness in your life that lets you see some light.

 

 

Posted in Grace, Life, Ministry

People of influence

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Tomorrow, as the first part of a stewardship emphasis at our church, I’ll be talking about the influence we have in this world. My sermon is based on Matthew 5:13-16, where Jesus says we are the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world.”

One way to look at this is to see how influential Jesus says we are in this world, making as much difference as salt and light make when something is bland or dark. (If you’d prefer to think of salt as a preservative, that works, too. We make as much difference as salt and light when things are rotting and dark.) Anyway, I think we sometimes forget how influential we are as Christians. Feeling outnumbered by other faiths and atheists and agnostics, the temptation is retreat into our own worlds or let ourselves be influenced by others.

Whether we like it or not, God shakes us out of the saltshaker and puts us into the workplace, the marketplace, the schools, and our communities. There, whether we realize it or not, we bring some of Jesus with us. By that, I mean we bring what we’ve received from him, things like forgiveness, love, humility, patience, etc. And that is the stuff that salts, brightens, and changes the world. Wrap your mind (heart, soul, and strength) around that, and you might even do it intentionally, realizing what a difference God makes through you.

We are anything but ordinary, bland, and dull in this world. We’re salt and light.