Light for Revelation

Read: Luke 2:25-35 My eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel. (vv. 30-32) Simeon, who spoke these words over the infant Jesus, was a very spiritual man. Luke called him “righteous,” and “devout,” […]

Secrets Come to Light

Read: Mark 4:21-25 For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. (v. 22) We live in an age of incredible scientific discovery. While quantum physics describes nature at the smallest scales of energy, and molecular biology pulls apart DNA, both sciences unraveling mysteries of light […]

How Great the Darkness

Read: Matthew 6:22-23 If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! (v. 23) Jesus speaks about the absurdity of lighting a lamp then covering it up; a few moments later he takes his metaphor “out of the basket.” His listeners are invited from visual imagination to visceral reality. Jesus is […]

The Light in You

Read: Matthew 5:13-16 Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God. (v. 16 MSG) Jesus tells a crowd at the temple, “I am the light of the world” (John […]

Great Light in the Darkness

Read: Matthew 4:12-17 The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light. (v. 16) Epiphany is known as the “season of light,” yet is celebrated in the darkest days of the northern hemisphere. Such a season marked the visit of the wise men to worship Jesus, the “great light” who has illuminated a formerly […]

Light of God Veiled

Read: Habakkuk 3:1-6 His brightness was like the light; rays flashed from his hand; and there he veiled his power. (v. 4) Watching the sun dip into Lake Michigan on a wintery evening is glorious, but darkness comes early and swiftly. Perhaps God closes his hand to veil the power of light, but whether we […]

The Good Light of Exposure

Read: Micah 7:7-9 I will bear the indignation of the LORD because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment . . . He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication. (v. 9) The idea of exposure often carries with it the murky film […]

Day of the Lord Is Darkness

Read: Amos 5:16-24 Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why would you have the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light, as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him. (vv. 18-19) I have been convicted by Amos over one of my dearest desires. […]

Judgment as Light

Read: Hosea 6:1-7 My judgment goes forth as the light. (v. 5) To understand how God’s judgment goes forth as light, we need to understand how light works. There’s the light we see, which is obvious to all of us. But there’s a whole spectrum of light we can’t see. Did you know that X-rays, […]