Light Archives - Pastor Rich Eddy

Light In the Darkness

We live in dark times. Not only are sins openly allowed, they are celebrated. Movies, TV, and social media are filled with words and images that just a short time ago would have never appeared in public places. On top of that, anyone speaking against them or calling for constraint or decorum is called a hater of some kind and is then canceled or outright attacked.

Christians are portrayed as villains in movies and TV shows. A man plays Satan in a televised award show. A pro baseball team gives an award to a group that mocks Christ and those who believe in him. A movie exposing the horrors of child sex trafficking is demeaned as “right-wing propaganda,” while others call for unlimited abortions up to and after birth. Our government, charged by God with restraining evil (Romans 13:4), instead condones and even promotes evil.

It is indeed a very dark time.

Sort of like the time into which Jesus was born.

In those days, the prevailing Greek and Roman societies promoted the worship of idols, that is, demons (1 Corinthians 10:20). Women practiced abortions, primarily by throwing their newborn babies onto the city dump. Pirates and highwaymen waylaid travelers, and human trafficking into slavery was so common that Paul had to address how slaves and their masters were to act toward each other (1 Timothy 6:1-2). Even among the religious Jews of the time there was corruption in business practices (“wicked scales and deceitful weights” – Micah 6:11) and ethnic bias. People were sinful then, just like now. It was a dark world then, just like now. As the French would say, “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” (“The more things change, the more they are the same.”).

The good news was that something was about to change – drastically. Not the nature of the world, but the solution to that darkened condition. Light was about to shine in the world. The Apostle John opened his Gospel with the Good News that “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world” (John 1:9). Who or what was that light? The light was Jesus Christ, who in John 8:12 said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

So, what does light, especially the light of the world, do? What good is it?

The first thing light does is reveal our path. Without light, we stumble in the dark; with it, we avoid obstacles and find our way safely. Twice this year, severe wind storms knocked out our power, leaving us without our computers (Oh, no!) or any lights. We dug out a couple flashlights and candles, allowing us to walk safely around the house until the power returned. In a world beset by spiritual darkness, we stumble from one false teaching or belief to another, ending up totally confused and lost. But spiritual light, in the person of Jesus Christ, shows us the way to salvation and eternal life with our heavenly Father. His coming fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah that “the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light” (Matthew 4:16). He who announced that he is the light of the world also said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Jesus not only lights the way to salvation, he is the lighted path himself.
Another thing that light does is reveal things hidden in the dark. This especially applies to evil deeds, which try to hide unseen in obscurity. That’s why most crimes happen at night, when the perpetrators can hide their identity, or cover up their misdeeds. That’s why political figures try to hide their crimes and moral failures by weasel words and cover-ups. The Bible proclaims that all such evil deeds will be brought to light in the day of judgment. 1 Corinthians 4:5 says when the Lord comes, he will “bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart.”

Unfortunately, many who dwell in darkness – and even love it – don’t want the light or the One who brings it into the world. John 1:9-11 tells us, “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” Why doesn’t everyone want the light of Christ in their lives? 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 says, “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” They have been spiritually blinded to the glory of Christ, not wanting to acknowledge their wickedness nor give up the sins which make them happy. Better to “turn a blind eye” to God’s commandments than to feel any obligation to obey them!

But what about us? What part does Christ’s light play in our lives?

1. We trust that the true light will ultimately triumph, even if the darkness around us is so strong. John 1:4-5 says about Christ, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Similarly, the warning that the light will reveal the deeds of darkness shows the triumph of good over evil. In the words of the song, “This Is My Father’s World,” we hear, “For though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet.”*

2. Like moths, we should flock to the light and avoid the darkness. The Bible warns us as Christians to no longer live in the darkness nor associate with it. This may mean dropping certain activities or friends that would tempt us to continue dark and destructive paths. 2 Corinthians 6:14 warns us, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” And Jesus himself said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 1:12).

3. At his Transfiguration, Jesus shone like the sun (Matthew 17:2). If he is like the sun, we are like the moon, reflecting his light into the world around us. That is why Jesus could say to us, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16). When we shine Christ’s light into the world, we reveal both its lost condition and the one way to its salvation. The world may not like to hear the first part, but it needs to hear the second. According to Romans 2, we are “a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness.” We take to heart the words of the old Sunday School song: “Hide it under a bushel? No! I’m gonna let it shine!”** Our duty as Christians is to walk in the light. Paul called us to be “blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15). Our shining is a testimony to Christ and a call to follow the light to eternal life in Christ.

In Ephesians 6:12, Paul called the world, “this present darkness,” and said it is under the influence of spiritual, cosmic powers of evil. We should remember that when we face the evil words and actions of people around us, we are not to hate them, but to enlighten them to the light of Christ, that they too, like us, may be called out of darkness and into God’s marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). Ultimately, it is only the light of Christ that will chase away the shadows of spiritual darkness.

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: John 1:1-14; Ephesians 6:11-13;

*”This Is My Father’s World”, by Maltie D. Babcock, 1901, public domain.

**”This Little Light of Mine”, by Harold Dixon Loes, public domain.

The Empty Manger

As I mentioned before, Karen and my decorating for Christmas has been pretty sparse this year. Our outside lights are up, but our main tree has just one ornament besides its built-in lights. There are one or two snowmen in view (not the melty type), and one nativity scene. Without company coming, and us still dealing with my sister’s stuff, the idea of getting out bins of decorations for a couple weeks just didn’t do much for us this year.

And then there’s the little wooden stable I made years ago for my sister. It sits in full view in our family room, but what’s left of the balsa-wood figures I made for that nativity scene are still wrapped up somewhere. So it sits empty: empty stable, empty manger.

One day, Karen looked up at it and said, “The manger is empty. Jesus isn’t in it.” To which I replied, without even thinking through what I was saying, “He’s not here; he has risen!” I hadn’t meant to quote Luke 24:6 (or its parallels in Matthew and Mark), but as soon as I said it, I realized how profound a statement that could be. Jesus is not here in the manger anymore; the manger is empty, as is the cross and the tomb. All are empty, because after they fulfilled the purposes which they played, Christ went on to fulfill his purpose, and provide us forgiveness and eternal life. Each played a part in his journey, but though he spent time in each, none could hold him forever.

Note that all three were man-made objects which were fashioned for earthly purposes: the manger as a feed trough for animals (and the stable to hold and shelter them), the cross as a brutal execution device to kill criminals and terrorize the population into obedience, and the tomb, as the burial chamber for a dead person. Man-made and -purposed, yet God took those objects and used them to fulfill his plan of salvation for you and me, and a multitude of other believers.

The manger. Do you realize that if God had wanted Jesus to be born in more comfortable surroundings, he would have made sure there was room for Mary and Joseph in the inn? But he didn’t; he chose the stable for their shelter and Jesus’ birthplace, and the manger for the newborn’s bed. It was part of God’s plan that Jesus would be of humble birth and childhood; not a social celebrity well-connected to the wealthy and influential of his day. He would be welcomed by humble, unclean shepherds in a stable, and grow up the son of a carpenter, eventually to not even have a home of his own. (Matthew 8:20 -“Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”)

In addition, I think that the manger was significant because it was where food was placed for the animals to eat. Jesus said of himself, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (John 6:51) As in Holy Communion, Jesus offers up himself as our life-living bread from heaven – his flesh for our salvation. Again, in God’s working all things for his purposes, Bethlehem was not only the “City of David” and home to an ancestor of Jesus, who happened to start out as a humble shepherd named David; the name Bethlehem literally means, “House of Bread.” Appropriate for the first earthly home of the living bread come down from heaven to give us life.

The manger fulfilled its purpose: to cradle the Christ-child with earthly and symbolic shelter, but it couldn’t hold him forever; if that child had not grown up and gone on to die on a cross and rise from the dead, we wouldn’t be celebrating just another child born into poverty in some obscure back-water of a country, over 2020 years ago. If that manger still exists, it is now empty.

The cross. While we feel all warm and fuzzy looking on scenes of the babe lying in a manger, surrounded by Mary, Joseph, shepherds, sheep and cattle (and an angel hovering overhead), the cross hits us with horror and revulsion. Especially if we consider what happened there, and not think of the cross as a nice, symmetrical piece of shiny jewelry. Echoing what the ancient patriarch Joseph said to his brothers who had sold him into slavery in Egypt, “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). So it was with the cross: something contrived to be evil, and the placing of Jesus on it an act of even greater evil; yet God intended and used that evil act for our good.

As is so often the case, people think they are in charge, and do things for their own purposes, but even their evil intentions fulfill God’s plans. They wanted to get rid of a trouble-maker; God allowed the death of his Son to atone for the sins of the world and provide us a way to forgiveness and eternal life. Without the sacrifice of the innocent Jesus, we would still be lost in our sins and doomed for eternity. But because Jesus went to the cross and willingly paid the price for our sins, we have hope – and a Church called by his name.

There has been some debate among Christians as to whether crosses should be bare, showing Christ is risen, or adorned with images of the dying Christ (in what is called a crucifix). I think both carry important messages, one a reminder that Jesus did suffer and die on the cross, and the other that Christ died once and for all time at Golgotha, and never again. I have no issue with either form, for we do not worship the cross, but the One who died on it.

One more thought about the cross: notice the differences between the birth and death of our Lord: in the one, Jesus was held and sheltered by a wooden box; in the other, he hung and died on a wooden cross. During the one, a supernatural light appeared, both with the angels and from the star; during the other, a supernatural darkness covered the land. One a celebration of joy, peace, and goodwill; the other of sadness and evil. And yet, like the manger, the cross couldn’t hold Jesus; if it had, we wouldn’t call that day, Good Friday.

The tomb. Finally, we come to consider the tomb in which Jesus was laid. It, too, had a human intention, a purpose for which it had been hewn from the rock. Specifically, it belonged to a rich man named Joseph of Arimathea, but when Jesus was killed, Joseph offered his unused tomb for the Lord’s burial. (I wonder if he knew he was only lending it to Jesus for a couple days . . .).

The tomb fulfilled God’s purposes as well: first, by providing visible proof that Jesus was dead; second, by providing a situation where Jesus’ enemies guarded the body under their watch to make sure the disciples didn’t steal the body; and third, to prove Jesus had bodily resurrected from the dead in a miraculous way, attended by angels and an earthquake (Matthew 28:2). When the disciples rushed to the tomb and found it empty except for Jesus’ grave clothes, they knew he had risen. (Thought: Jesus had been wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in a manger; now he had been wrapped in burial cloths and laid in a tomb. You could say he “outgrew” both!)

Well, we know the rest of the story about the tomb: though closed by a stone, marked with a seal, and guarded by soldiers, the tomb was empty on the third day. Jesus appeared alive to the women, to the disciples, and to 500 followers at one time (not to mention to Paul, “as to one untimely born” – 1 Corinthians 15:5-8). The empty tomb was one proof of Jesus’ resurrection, and the sign that he had overcome death, our final enemy.

Because the tomb was empty, we can celebrate the empty manger and the empty cross; if the tomb had remained filled with Jesus’ lifeless body, there would be no celebration of Christmas, Good Friday, or Easter. There would be no Christian Church, no hope of life after death, and no promise of forgiveness nor proof of God’s love. And no Pastor Eddy’s blog, but that’s the least of our worries!

I hope you celebrate Christmas, keeping in mind the life journey of our Lord Jesus Christ, who came into the world, humbling himself to a manger, a cross, and a tomb, only to rise triumphantly, leaving them all empty behind him, ascending to heaven and awaiting God’s appointed time for his return. Only this time, he won’t need a manger, a cross, or a tomb.

We hope you have a very blessed and Merry Christmas!

Now, may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you ad give you peace. Amen.

Read: Luke 2:1-21; John 6:22-51; 1 Corinthians 15; Matthew 27:45-66

2020 Vision

This is a blog that has taken over 2000 years to write. Two thousand and twenty years, to be exact. Or maybe I should say, two thousand and twenty years to wait before it could be written. And why do I say that? Because we are on the verge of the year 2020, which happens to be the same number as the designation of good eyesight: 20/20.

When optometrists say someone’s eyesight is 20/20, they mean that the person can see a line of text at 20 feet that a “normal” person sees at 20 feet. If someone has 20/40 vision, that means that person has to be 20 feet from what a normal person sees at 40 feet: in other words, they only see half as well.* So the bigger the bottom number, the worse the person’s vision. Therefore the goal for vision correction (what we laypeople call “glasses”) is to help a person see with 20/20 acuity.

That was the goal when I was first given glasses at the age of nine. My school teacher suggested I see an eye doctor when she saw me not only squinting to see the chalkboard (yes, we used real chalk in those days); she also saw me curling my fingers in front of my eyes to make little pinholes: I had discovered that I could refract the light enough to see the board clearly by doing that. I still remember how weird everything looked when I first walked out of the doctor’s office with my new glasses!

Of course, the effect of my sudden clarity on me was nothing compared to what it must have been like for the blind people Jesus healed. Among those to whom Jesus gave sight were a blind beggar in Jericho named Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52), a second blind man in Jericho (Matthew 20:29-34), two other men in Matthew 9:27-31, a man in Mark 8:22-26 (who required two touches to be healed), and a man who was born blind in John 9. Can you imagine what it must have been like, to suddenly see? For your brain to make sense of visual images when there had been none before?

The healing in John 9 was especially remarkable, in that an entire chapter was devoted to the miracle and its consequences. In no small measure that was due to the fact that, as the healed man said, “Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind.” It was truly a miracle, one which could only have been done if the Healer were from God, as the healed man also proclaimed.

But the real importance of the John 9 healing is greater even than giving one man sight, as miraculous as it was. The resulting disbelief and challenges by the Pharisees who witnessed the results of Jesus’ act gave Jesus the basis for teaching about what true vision really means. For he spoke not of physical sight and blindness, but of spiritual. He said to the formerly blind man, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” Then, when some of the Pharisees near him asked him, “Are we also blind?” Jesus answered, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.” To our Lord, true sight, no matter how we do on an eye chart, comes from the heart, that is, from our spirit rather than from our body.

Therefore, true sight has to do with recognizing God and his works, and with believing in his Son as our Savior, something which the blind man did, but the Pharisees could not. True 20/20 vision has to do with the eyes of faith which see reality for what it is, in spite of all the distortions and camouflage which the world throws up to disguise or obstruct the truth. As 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “We walk by faith, not by sight.” And Hebrews 11:1 teaches, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” True sight, true perspective on the world, comes from faith in God.

So then, what does this have to do with the year, 2020? The connection could apply to any new year, or in fact, to any day of any year, but 2020 happens to be the year which confronts us now, and therefore is worthy of consideration. What I want us to think about is how we are going to view the coming year. What perspective will we have on its events? What is the lens through which we will “see” the world with 20/20 vision in 2020?

There are many lenses that people wear:

The economic lens. How is the economy doing? How are my investments doing? Will I have enough to pay my bills? Is GDP up, and is it up enough? What about trade, tariffs, sanctions, and taxes? What about inflation and income disparity? What are the jobs and unemployment numbers? To many people, and not just in the business world, the answers to these questions will determine whether they have a “good” year or not. Changes in their financial status, in their bottom line, determines their satisfaction and even happiness with life. A tenth of a point change in the stock market can elate or crush them, depending on how it affects them. But as Jesus told in the parable of a farmer who became rich, wealth is nothing when your soul is required of you at death (Luke 12:13-21). Even the extremely wealthy Solomon lamented that he was going to have to leave his wealth to someone else when he dies (Ecclesiastes 2:18). So seeing the world economically is temporary at best, and even then is subject to the daily vagaries of the news.

The political lens. Certainly, 2020 is starting off as one of the most politically tinged (or should I say, tainted) years in our lifetime. With our nation sharply divided in its vision for the future, with our political parties at war in the Congress, with judges disagreeing with each other’s rulings, with the President impeached (or was he?), and with primaries and the general election coming this year, it seems the world revolves around politics. Catch any national newscast and you’ll believe that the only thing happening in our country is politics (or any event that can be politicized). Even the magazine, Christianity Today, got into the fray by calling for the President’s ouster. But as heated and as all-encompassing as politics seem to be this coming year, we need to keep true perspective. Such questions were just as important in Jesus’ day: which Jewish party was the right one: the Sadducees, the Pharisees, the Essenes, or the Zealots? Who was ruler: Pilate, Caesar, Herod, or the high priest? What about those tax collectors (always lumped with sinners by the people) and Roman soldiers walking around? And as for the Bill of Rights – forget about it! Politics will always play an important part in our lives, but are they what life is really about? Romans 13:1 states, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” But Jesus reminded us to put things in the right order: sure, we are to render to Caesar (our political leaders) what is Caesar’s, but more importantly, to God what is God’s. When we make that distinction, and realize that no one can rule without God’s permission, we can catch our breath and look to God for guidance in how we interact with the political situation in which we find ourselves.

The popularity lens. How many followers do I have on Twitter” How many Facebook friends? How big is my “posse”? Do people crowd around to talk to me, take my advice, and copy how I dress or wear my hair? (In my case, do people dye their hair gray to look like me? Sadly, I think not.) Is my professional image what I want to project, of confidence, competency and success? Does this dress/shirt/pair of pants make me look fat? While we all crave acceptance at some level, when we make it our priority, and judge our happiness based on our perception of how popular we are, we are making a huge mistake. Not only are our perceptions subject to misunderstanding (am I being emulated or mocked?), it turns out that what is popular is a temporary and fickle thing. Saddle shoes or high heels? (I had neither.) Pegged pants or bell-bottoms? Wide lapels or narrow; wide ties or narrow? Shaved head, butch, crew cut, Afro, Mohawk, duck-tail, or buzz cut? Or ringlets, curly perm, or page boy? It is so easy to copy what we think makes other people popular, and think it will work the same for us, only to be disappointed when the popular person moves on to something else and we become so “yesterday” (so 2019, in other words). But when we see with the spiritual lens, we know that “God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34, KJV). And we read Paul in 1 Corinthians who proclaimed, “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” Our social popularity means nothing to God; its only purpose, when used rightly, is to witness to others about Christ and what is truly meaningful in life.

Other lenses: There are other ways to look at the world which people use, such as scientific, medical, corporate, tribal, etc. But time and space limit me from going into those. Maybe another time – like 2021.

But the key to remember is that the ability to have 20/20 vision for 2020 rests not with the forces around us, but in God’s Word, which gives us the true perspective, God’s perspective, on what is real and what is important. It tells us who God is, who we are, and what God has done for us: a joyful reality that transcends anything we would otherwise think important. Are we living in accord with God’s law? Do we accept his grace and forgiveness? do we forgive others who harm us? Do we help the unfortunate?

When the final reality for which God has saved us comes to pass, and we stand together in God’s presence before his throne, on that day we will see him face to face, and glorify the One who has given us true sight: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: John 9, Mark 8:22-26, Mark 10:46-52

*Interestingly, Chuck Yeager, the famous WWII fighter ace, had 20/10 vision, which allowed him to see enemy fighters long before they could see him, which in a less electronic era made all the difference.

The Star Still Shines

The star that shone so bright in the night, pierced the dark with its glorious light.

Beneath the star lay a world dwelling in the dark, but also from the benighted condition of a world subject to sin and death. The Scriptures spoke of people living in darkness, and so it was: a darkness bred by greed, malice, lust, theft, murder, hatred, political intrigue, oppression, and worship of the creation instead of the Creator. A people yearning to be free outwardly, yet unable to change their internal bondage to sin.

And yet, the star still shone, knowing that in spite of the depth of the darkness below, it was announcing by its small glow, the coming of a more brilliant Light, One that would ultimately banish all darkness, that would be the great Light also promised by Scripture: the Light that would save people from their sins, that would break their bondage to iniquity, and make them free indeed. And so it was that under the light of that star a babe was born. And the light drew men from near and far, even those who had longed to see the sign for what it told.

The star still shines so bright in the night, piercing the dark with its glorious light.

The Scriptures told us that not all people love light and not all people will love the Light. Evil deeds love the darkness, for darkness promises its own rewards, of selfish gain, sensual satisfaction, pride, vanity and replacement of God with self. The world is filled with evidence of what darkness truly delivers, yet people blame God for what they have caused. So it is that most of the world rejects the Light, hoping to shine in its own way, but only becoming fireflies that glow briefly before being snuffed out. The world mocks those who love the Light Hoping to justify their own dark souls.

And yet, the star which shone before shines still, proclaiming that the promised Light has come. It calls all people to believe, and to rejoice that the unending love of our Creator has shone and shown us the way out of the darkness. No longer must sin rule over us; there is a new way, a way that leads to life by following the true Light of the world.

Though the darkness will rage and fight to the end, it cannot overcome Whom God did send. The day will come when there’ll be no night, for the Morning Star will be our Light!

Merry Christmas, and may your celebration of Christ’s birth fill you with the love and joy of the true Light!

May the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Luke 2:1-29, Matthew 2:1-12, John 1:1-14