Words of Life: An Enduring Legacyනියැදිය

Legacy of light: seeing in the dark.

When I was 19, I spent three months living in a shared house in a rural area prone to power cuts. I remember the first blackout plunging us into total darkness. Panic set in among my housemates – there was yelling, fumbling, and confusion as we struggled to make sense of our surroundings. It was a frightening experience. Yet, by the 12th power cut, the fear had faded into mere inconvenience. Our eyes adjusted, and we had learnt to navigate the darkness.

Some people seem to get used to living in the dark. The context to today’s reading is an escalating conflict between Jesus and Pharisees and religious leaders. John 7 describes how they begin murmuring about him, plotting his downfall. Stubbornly, they refuse to recognise him as the Messiah, the Son of God. If only their eyes were opened to him, they could experience the fullness of the life he promises. But instead, they continue stumbling in spiritual darkness. It’s against this backdrop that Jesus declares, ‘I am the light of the world’, and promises that those who follow him will have the light of life.

Jesus’ words bring both a challenge and a comfort. They challenge us to reflect on whether we have also grown too comfortable in the dark. It’s easy to judge the Pharisees, but we each face distractions, compromises, and blind spots that can slowly dim the way we are walking. At the same time, Christ’s words offer great reassurance – Jesus is the light of the world, and following him leads to life.

Today, let’s ask God to open our eyes, guide our steps, and help us to reflect his light in a world that desperately needs it.

We are called to take his light
To a world where wrong seems right;
What could be too great a cost
For sharing life with one who’s lost?
People need the Lord, people need the Lord;
At the end of broken dreams, he’s the open door.

Greg Nelson and Phill McHugh (Salvation Army Song Book 418)