The light of the world still overcomes

I remember going to Marvel Cave in Branson when I was young. Believe it or not there wasn’t much there at the time. I was about 8 at the time, so somewhere around 50 years ago. What really impressed me was when we went into an inner chamber and the guide turned off the lights. It was so dark you could not see your hand in front of your face. That was the blackest black I have ever seen.

The funny thing about dark, is it isn’t a thing. Dark does not exist, unless there is a lack of light. Technically, dark is nothing. It has no mass, or energy or anything. It only has value when compared to light. Am I blowing your mind yet?

I have heard people talk about how dark the world is getting. We are facing geo-political upheaval, economic hardships and ecological frustrations. Even our churches seem to be succumbing to a sense of dark.

This is only happening because we are not allowing light into the world. The world was created out of total darkness when God said, “Let there be light.” John 1 points to Christ as the Light. A light that darkness did not overcome.

The point that I am trying to make is that darkness is coming because we are letting it come. Ephesians 5:8-9 tells us “For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light, for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.” Paul is telling the believers that they have the power to overcome their darkness because they are now children of light.

We have that power. If you are a believer in Christ, (as I suspect you may be) then you have within you the light of Christ. This light will overcome darkness because it cannot be overcome by darkness. Christ came into the world to end the darkness that had invaded our lives. The believers are called to be the light in the world pointing to Christ.

My friends, I don’t have to tell you that the world is on the wrong track. We have too many people being hurt, too many laws being broken, too many leaders taking too much power. The world of my grandparents and parents no longer exists. But you and I have the power to illuminate the world. Darkness has no true power; it just needs someone to be the light. Followers of Christ are called to be that light.

So, get to church, start reading your Bible, start loving your neighbor and God. I for one am tired of sitting in the darkness, I suspect you are too. All we have to do is just turn on the light. Show the love to others that God has shown you. As the light progresses the darkness will recede. Eventually our children will live in a brighter world than the one we are in.

Time to light it up, don’t you think.

Shalom my friends.

See you in church.

Rev. Kent Wilfong is the pastor at the United Methodist Church, Doniphan/Neelyville.