The Transforming Power of Light

“Christmas time is coming” and decorations adorn houses and yards. Near the entrance to our neighborhood, a yard has been transformed into a breathtaking Christmas scene. People, reindeer, sleigh, and toys filled the yard – all metal figures outlined in bright lights. Further down the street are more scenes of elaborate decorations, all featuring lights. The next day, after having admired all that beauty the night before, I drove down those same streets. The houses were plain, and the animals and other figurines appeared as clutter in the yards. What made the difference? Light! Light shining in the dark had turned something ordinary into a thing of beauty.

Amazing, isn’t it? The same is true in our lives. The Light can transform our lives, turning something ordinary, even unsightly, into a thing of beauty and delight. Where do we find this Light? Not in a hardware store, nor on a string with other lights. Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Jesus is the light of the world, yet in Matthew 5:14 and 16, He tells His followers, “You are the light of the world.” Then He says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” If Jesus is the light, how can we be the light? How can we shine?

Consider the sun and the moon. On the fourth day of creation, “God made two great lights: the greater light (the sun) to rule the day and the lesser light (the moon) to rule the night…and to divide the darkness” (Genesis 1:16-18). The greater light, the sun, gives light and heat that influences all the objects in the solar system and allows life to exist on the earth (Encarta Encyclopedia). But the moon has no light of its own – it shines by reflecting the light of the sun! That is also how we shine – we shine by reflecting the light of the Son!

“No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand where the light can be seen by all who enter the house” (Luke 12:33). Today, perhaps as never before, we who have seen the Light need to share the news of its transforming power. Phillip Bliss wrote on the day before he died, “Come to the light, ‘tis shining for thee; Sweetly the light has dawned upon me. Once I was blind, but now I can see: The Light of the world is Jesus!”