Called Out of Darkness

Last week, I was getting ready to pray before bed and realized that I left my pen (yes, I have a specific 'prayer journal pen') in my bag downstairs. I had already turned the lights off and didn't think I would need them to find the pen in my bag. But because I'm a Youth Minister who essentially carries random ministry supplies with me at all time, the seemingly simple task of finding said pen became quite daunting as I dug through this cluttered bag. If I had only turned on the lights, I would have been able to see through the clutter to find what I was looking for.

In the Gospel of John, after the ever-famous quote of "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son", Jesus continues to preach and says this humbling truth to the crowds: "And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light". And this statement is just as applicable to our generation as well. The truth is that JESUS CAME. He came to this earth. He humbled himself to share in our humanity. He endured temptation; he suffered humiliation; he accepted the cross. And he did all, as he says in John 10:10, that we might "have life and have it more abundantly".

The beginning of John's Gospel says that "what came to be through him was life and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it". But this light of life found in Christ comes with a cost--the acceptance of the light, the willingness to let it shine, and the humility to recognize that he is the true source of all light.

But the reality is that we often go through each day searching for abundance of life outside of him. We wade through the darkness, hoping to find meaning and love and fulfillment in the clutter of our sin. We prefer the desperation and inefficiency of living in darkness because at least we are still in control. We prefer to search aimlessly through the darkness because our pride teaches us that we can find what we're searching for without anyone else. And we prefer being blinded to his light because seeing it requires our response and a recognition of its power.

As we take a step back, we see just how ludicrous our preferences are. As we recognize just how inefficient, desperate, and unsuccessful we have become in finding purpose by our own means, we are overcome by the weight of darkness and overwhelmed with a desire for his light. And so today, Lord Jesus, we praise you for your goodness, healing, and light which overflow into our hearts. We beg you to shine the light of your love into the dark places of our lives and to make our sin transparent to us. And as we recognize you as the source of all life, may we "announce the praises of him who called us out of darkness and into his marvelous light".