This morning, as dawn was introducing that slowly increasing glow of light that precedes sunrise, I was out with the dog for a walk. Nine times out of ten, if he feels like walking beyond the edge of our driveway, he leads me to the left for a stroll of some undetermined length. Today however, he led me to the right, heading towards the church. There was enough ambient light for me to see the road, but I carried a flashlight just in case I needed to be sure that someone else out on the road could see us, because it was still fairly dark.
As we got to a point where I could see the church, I could see a gentle glow of light through the windows. When I got closer, and the angle of my view through the windows shifted sufficiently, I could see that the light was coming from the Christmas tree, and the light was actually from a multitude of smaller lights that adorned the branches. Without being able to see the branches of the tree or any additional ornaments, I could immediately recognize the beautiful form of the tree.
Christmas tree lights are quite small, so had there been only one or two or three lights on the tree, I may have noticed a slight glow, but I would certainly not have recognized any pattern or design behind their placement. Yes, in pitch darkness, those few tiny lights would have stood out against the black of night, but the overall impact would have been limited. What is really needed is more lights, and when you add those lights to each other, working together, not only do you greatly multiply the total luminescence shining forth, but the placement of the lights can reveal the beauty of the shape that they adorn. Shapes like a Christmas tree that evokes memories of joyful times of family gathered together on Christmas morning celebrating the birth of the Lord while sharing presents, love, and laughter.
Our church here on the island is like that. Praise God for the faithful few who kept the light shining over the past decades, particularly at times when those lights were alone in the darkness. Now, they are joined by many others, not simply adding to the total amount of light shining on the island but revealing the beautiful form of the church that underlies it all – the form of our Lord Christ. There’s room on the tree for many more individual lights to be placed, allowing for the church to shine more brightly and beautiful, but there’s no denying the greater community benefit that has already resulted from the steady increase in lights, added one at a time to the tree.
Jesus declared “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). If you are experiencing darkness in your life, come and bask in the glow of Jesus’ light. Stand close enough to Him, and you may find that you have acquired the light of life for yourself, becoming part of a glorious, glowing testament to God’s love for His Creation.
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron