“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”
John 1:1-5
Some time ago, I worked on memorizing the verses from John 1:1-5. I think something about the wording and the imagery caught my attention in this passage. The Gospel of John starts so uniquely with these poetic verses that pretty much capture the whole gospel in a couple of sentences.
It talks about the very beginning of time, and how Jesus was with God and was God. It mentions creation, and about how all things that have ever existed came into being through Jesus, and without him nothing could be created. The remaining verses are my favorite–what came into being in Jesus was life, true life. The goodness and love of Christ is true life. That life was light to all people, and that light shines in a world that is dark, but the darkness doesn’t overcome the light.
Earlier today this passage came to mind for me, and I realized that it’s been some time since I’ve tried to recite it from memory. As I put together the little pieces and fragments of the verse, something grabbed my attention as I got to that last line: The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
A couple of weeks ago during my Lead Well discipleship meeting, one of the topics that came up for my group were some of the troubling developments we see happening in the world. At times it seems like the world is not in a good place. The darkness seems to be growing in many areas, which can be discouraging and downright scary.
But overcoming the darkness in the world is precisely why Jesus came. John 1 talks about how Jesus is the light of the world, and that light is the life of Christ. Now, imagine yourself in a room that is dark, almost pitch black. How much light do you need to dispel the darkness? The truth is, only a little bit of light is needed to overcome darkness. Even a tiny light in a pitch black room seems able to overcome the darkness so easily.
When we think about the darkness in the world, it can seem natural to be fearful and want to hide away. Some of us may even encounter darkness on a daily basis, whether at work, in school, in your community, on the street, or otherwise. An important thing to remember, however, is that we are not meant to fear the darkness of the world, but to overcome it with light. When we encounter the darkness of the world, our call is not to hide, but to show the light of Christ in every and all situations. That light of Christ cannot be overcome, no matter how threatening the darkness may seem.
When I think about the light of Christ, the song This Little Light of Mine comes to mind. In the end, it only takes a little light to pierce through the darkness. What matters most is not the largeness of our light, but how consistently and faithfully it shines. Are we reflecting God’s light faithfully, in every area of our lives? Are we consistent in what we show others about who God is through our actions? Let’s continue to learn to shine not only brightly but consistently for God, so that it will be clear that light has come into the world, and that light is the life of Christ that shines now in our lives.