December 7, by Jack Higson

SCRIPTURE
John 12: 35-36
Jesus said to them, “The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.”

During Passion Week, Jesus tells the people of his forthcoming death: “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.” In the beginning of John’s gospel he writes: “In him (God) was life, and that life was the light of men.”

Today, we tend to take light for granted. When we enter a darkened room, all we have to do is turn a switch, and we have light. When we get into our cars at night or during rainstorms, we turn a switch, and there’s light. If we go into a darkened area, we take our flash lights, and we have light. It is that easy to have light, and the light is either on or off. It is either light or dark.
Light helps us see the way. It wouldn’t be much fun to go to a night football or baseball game if there were not any lights for us to see the game. How could we possibly Christmas shop in the evening if the stores were not lighted so that we could see the merchandise? How many of us spend countless hours putting lights on our trees and houses for Christmas? Yep, we need light!!!

But wait a minute. When John was writing his gospel, I don’t think that they had light switches on their walls, or played night football, or went to the mall in their cars. So, what light was he talking about? It is widely accepted that the primary intention of John’s Gospel was evangelistic, and “the light” is a spiritual illumination. So, let me ask some of the questions from above (pun intended) about this spiritual illumination. Do we take it for granted? Is it either on or off in our lives? Do we always use it to see the way? Do we use it to determine how we want to live? Do we show others, and share with others, the spiritual light in our life?

At a time of year when we can get so focused on the specific day of Christmas and waiting for the celebration of Jesus’ birth, let’s not miss seeing Him in the days and weeks leading up to it. This spiritual light is not turned on based on a calendar date. This spiritual light is here now, today, every day. Let’s look for it in the faces and hearts of others. Let others see it in our face and our heart. Let it be a light that grows brighter and stronger with use. Let it truly “light the way” in our lives everyday.

Jack Higson is the Business Administrator for Riverside Presbyterian Church. He has four children and three grandchildren. His wife Fran is the Life Group Director and a Pre-School Teacher at their home church, Orange Park Presbyterian. Jack has served terms as a Deacon and Elder in the PCUSA. He loves hot tea with milk and sugar (an English thing) and bleeds NY Yankee blue. John’s Gospel is his favorite book of the Bible because of how it describes the significance of Christ’s works, and the purpose and relevancy to our spiritual journey.