or you are all sons of light and sons of day 1 Thessalonians 5:5

Last night at TOV Matt and Audrey from “Eden to Eden” led us in an amazing praise and worship set followed by Matt and I talking about Light. My dear friend and pastor Craig Lott then went on to share a testimony. TOV was powerful and life changing last night and I pray that many receive and walk differently today.

The Greek word for light is phos.  We get English words from this such as photograph and photosynthesis.  Spiritually we often talk about salvation experiences in terms of bringing people out of darkness into the light when they receive Jesus. One of my life “gripes” is that this seems to be the thrust of the evangelical church today and we sort of missed the true message of the “light” of the gospel if that is all we are accomplishing. That isn’t a very good image of discipleship.

I have been into photography my entire life. My uncle was a professional photographer and gave me a Nikon F2 when I was in 7th grade. I started shooting a lot of film and spent half my life in the dark room being enamored by the power of light. As a photographer I am simply given light and what I do with the light in terms of the subject is up to me. Great photographers understand how the relationship between the subject and the light. I have spent my life mastering this both behind the camera and behind the word of the Lord; and I don’t believe I am done with either yet. I am a disciple.

The early Greeks saw the divine structure of the world in terms of light and dark. Most of their deductions led them farther away from God than closer to Him, but that is the story of a fallen world. Humankind continually takes something that God intended for good (TOV) and decimates it. In some ways that is what has happened to the idea of bringing people into the light.

When Jesus and the biblical authors talk about bringing people into the light they didn’t mean just barely. They meant lifelong immersion.

There is a good reason why God first creates light. Light has no ontological priority.  It doesn’t exist until God calls it into existence.  All of the ancient cults worshipped some form of distorted light -the sun, moon and stars. In a Deuteronomy 32 worldview that was the primary falling away. All of the luminaries, that is -those created as heavenly beings, “fall” and become worshipped themselves in the place of Yahweh rather than being a light that pointed or mirrored Yahweh. Make no mistake, all the philosophy of “illumination” that doesn’t begin and end with the lifelong journey of completeness that Jesus calls us into, is still in the dark. Light belongs to God.

For you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light Ephesians 5:8

In Greek, this reads gar pote skotos, nun de phos en Kyrio (literally, “for then darkness, and now light in Lord”).  Even though his words are certainly Greek, the syntax is Hebrew.  You were darkness.  Darkness isn’t merely a description of your state, it was the essence of your being.  Remove the darkness and there would be nothing left.  Before we were rescued, we were black holes in the world, pulling creation into the emptiness within us.

Let me explain this in metaphorical terms of a photograph. I can’t take a photo of a subject in total darkness. It simply doesn’t work. Thats what a “photo” is – the light creating an impression. But even if I introduce the subject I am photographing into a little bit of light, I am now able to “photograph it”, but just adding a small amount of light still makes a muddy yucky image. Yes, it is a “new” or original image, but its gray and murky. Yea the subject might think, “wow, a photo of me in my new light, this is the best I have ever looked!” but they don’t see or know what really good light looks like. There may even be a sense of beauty to that first dimly lit image. It could even win some abstract art contest at your county fair, but it leaves a lot to be desired to those that have a trained photographic eye. Over the years I have learned to be a master of natural light in photography in the same way that I have grown into the light spiritually. People look at some of my photographs on a wedding say and often say, “I have never seen such a beautiful image.” That is what we should desire of our image before the Lord. Yet many of us are very complacent to remain in the murky gray thinking our leaves in the light look really good. In Jesus’s image, they have a way to go! He invites you into a journey to find better beauty. The beauty is intrinsically there, but the revealing process is going to take some mastering.

Make Your face shine upon Your servant; save me in Your kindness. Psalm 31:16 (ISR translation)

No matter where you turn in the Scriptures, you are never far from Genesis.  The beginning is the end.  The cosmic Garden is the destination.  The original light of creation (ye-hi ‘or) is the same light David wishes to fall on him. The very light that separates order from chaos, long before night and day were regulated by the sun and moon.  “Bring Your light, the light that belongs to the order You established, into my life, O Lord.”

The Hebrew in this text is ha-ee-ra (shine, give light, make light, become light).  It is ongoing theme of the scripture that many Hebrew idioms come from.  Wisdom lights up the face (Ecclesiastes 8:1).  God’s word brings light to the eyes (Ezra 9:8).  The Lord’s face shines on His people (Numbers 6:25).  The presence of the Lord causes the earth to shine (Ezekiel 43:2).

The light of God’s face is the light that saves but more importantly is the light that leads towards the implored road to become masterfully like Jesus. The road back to the upward trajectory of Eden and eventually re renewed heaven and earth. In this Hebrew idiom, to experience God’s light isn’t simply to be rescued and brought into intimate shepherding. Your saved so that you can be shepherded in the light.

Do you know what it means to truly walk in His light day in and day out, to become a master of light?

Last night Craig Lott shared his testimony. It would have been easy to be emotionally moved to compassion and miss his primary message so let me repeat it. He lost his wife three weeks ago today unexpectantly. When something like this happens, you don’t care about things you used to care about. The light focuses you on what really matters and means something. Too many of us are REALLY entangled. Yea we may be in the light but not living a life completely given to Jesus. Hopefully you don’t need to lose your wife to see this message. Craig’s testimony challenged us to walk in what matters. Don’t live in the mucked-up worldliness of this carnal X-ian culture; but truly find and live in the light of Christ as if your world had just been reconciled to the only things that really matter.

The Word of the Lord is light to those who follow it.  Those who are devotional to God dwell in the light.  Light becomes the symbol for openness, harmony, community, freedom, redemption and Hessed Life.