There is a Light!

There is a Light,
That shines in the darkness.
There is a Light,
That shines in the darkness.
His name is Jesus.
His name is Jesus.
His name is Jesus,
The Light of the World.
-Martin Smith of Delirious

I attended a small gathering at a church near here about a month ago. It was a worship experience provided by the passion tour. David Crowder and Charlie Hall led us in an awesome time of corporate worship. Being a musician and lover of music, I usually get fired up for these kinds of moments.

I've never really been a good listener when it comes to sermons, devotions, lectures, etc. I blame it on attention deficit disorder. Anyway, that night we were privileged to hear Louie Giglio speak. He communicated with a power and an honesty that I found captivating. I was hanging from each word that he spoke. One of the things that struck me was his explanation that God loves the dark.

At first, I tried to figure out where he was going with this, but then I stopped analyzing and just listened. He said that Because God was Light, He loved the dark. A shining light cuts through the darkness. There is a Light that shines in the darkness. I never really thought about it that much. I just thought of God as good, and Satan as bad. In our own lives it goes much deeper than that. It isn't that you are good or bad. It is whether you are alive or dead. He continued to explain that we are either alive in Christ, or dead in Sin. That makes Christianity seem so freeing, so liberating.

I work in a secular field. I help maintain a controlled, structured environment in a juvenile rehab/detention center. In this line of work, many of my co-workers seem jaded and hardened by their jobs and by the world they live in. I have tried to be a light in this dark place, but it is difficult. I've discussed spiritual matters with many of my peers, but often I am met with similar reactions. "Christianity seems so oppressive." "Why would I want to follow all the do's and don'ts? I have a great time without religion screwing it up."

You see, many people that are in the darkness have not seen the light. Many of my co-workers have had religious backgrounds in their childhood. Due to one reason (fundamentalism was condemning and harsh) or another (church people are critical, judgmental, and hypocritical) many of our neighbors have been left with a bad taste in their mouths when it comes to Christ.

We must shine out light into this dark word.

You are the Light of the world
A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp,
And put it under a bowl.
Instead, they put it on its stand,
And it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before men,
That they may see your good deeds,
And praise your Father who is in Heaven.

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