The Pastor’s Pen

The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

…He was in the world…

To all who received him, who believed in his name,

he gave the power to become children of God.

(John 1: 9-12 selections NRSV)

              That’s a Christmas reading and this article is supposed to be for January and New Year’s. But here is the thing: when you read just those verses from the John, it makes Jesus sound like a one-time thing. The light was coming; that it came; that it was Jesus; and that’s the end of the story; now, everybody be happy. It doesn’t work that way though. It didn’t work that way then either. The world isn’t changed and better just because Jesus came into it. That should be obvious to anyone who looks around at the world in which we are living. If Jesus hadn’t enlightened and had an effect upon the first disciples and then they upon others, we probably wouldn’t even have a church today or even know who Jesus is. What makes Jesus’ effect on the world the big thing that it is - is that this effect continues into the present day. The light didn’t only come into the world then; the light comes into the world now.

I believe that the celebration of Christmas as only a commemoration of a one-time historical event is perhaps the poorest way to keep the holiday. I believe we need to celebrate Christmas by participating making it real in our own day and age. It isn’t only that Jesus came into the world then, but that he IS COMING into the world, into you and into me, even now.

So now it is a new year and I am still talking about the Light of the World coming into the world. I can’t stress enough that what our faith is really about is being transformed, changed, by the presence of Christ within each of us AND among all of us. If we look at the other end of John, the ending, we learn what his gospel was really about. The end of John’s gospel says that Jesus did many other signs that aren’t written about in this book. But these are written so we will come to believe in Jesus, and through that belief, come to life. (John 20:30-31 my paraphrase) Jesus came to help us all come to life. The Light of the World shines to light up the world and make it alive. This can’t be something that only happened in a single historical moment. This shining must continue. And as long as it continues, there will be life and growth. And let’s face it, our world needs that. So that means that the light can’t only come at Christmas. We need it on New Year’s too. We need it on Thursdays, and in February, and always.

So, how do we ensure that the light shines where it needs to? Well, if the light has touched us, even just a little, we need to not hold onto it for only ourselves. We need to pass it on by reflecting that Light of the World in who we are, in what we say, and especially in what we do. It is in that way that we do not simply come to church but that we actually ARE the church. It is in that way that the Light of the World may come into the world every day of every year.

Wishing you all blessed New Years. Shine!