Day 1
The Founding Light
Light is one of the core metaphors that God uses to define Himself. From His first words: “Let there be Light” to the end of the story when the Lamb replaces the sun and the moon, the theme of light is spread throughout the breadth of Scripture. I wonder why God is so insistent on describing Himself this way and what it shows us about His nature?
In the natural, light is the only way we have vision. Light is filtered through our iris, focused through our eye lens, received through our retina, and sent by the optic nerve to the brain for recognition and comprehension. The absorption and reflection of certain rays of light is what gives an object it’s color. Have you ever been in a place that was entirely pitch black? It’s disorienting. Without light, nothing has definition. In the dark, plenty of beautiful and elaborate things may be around us, but we are blind to knowing them. We need light to see.
“For with You is the fountain of life. In Your light, we see light” — Psalm 36:9
What does this mean— to only be able to see light through His light? Jesus is not just the light that shines upon us, He is also the light by which we rightly see everything else—beyond face value and past all the masquerades and deceiving shadows. Without Him, we may think we can “see” the world around us, but we are truly in the dark.
“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen. Not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”
— CS Lewis
In John 1, the Greek word that John uses to describe Jesus as the Word from the beginning is “Logos”. In Greek thought, Logos described more than a mere “word”— it actually described the defining logic that undergirded everything else. It is the interpretive lens for understanding all of reality. So when John described Jesus as the Logos and the True Light, he was stating that this Man is the foundation of all reality and that it is only through the brilliance of His light that we will find any true understanding or lasting meaning to life. In His light, we see light.
“…That [you] may have a true understanding of the mystery of God, that is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” Colossians 2:2-3
In Ephesians 1, Paul’s prayer for believers is for the eyes of their hearts to be enlightened. As we remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus this season, my prayer is for the Holy Spirit to wash the eyes of my heart from all the overfamiliarity that has built up in me over the years. I want Him to awaken wonder in me again— as if seeing the story for the first time. I don’t want to try and keep up with the pace of the world that is always craving for something more and something new. I want to make myself vulnerable again to the old old story and to be reoriented by His light.
Let us return to the Center of all things— the One who clothed His brightness with skin and came to us, wanting to be held by our hands.
Reflection:
Listen to this instrumental song as you spend some time in God’s presence. Let the warmth of His light wash over you.
Pray over yourself the prayer from Ephesians 1:17-19:
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.”
Ask for the light of Jesus’ face to illuminate your heart, clearing away the fog, and awakening you to the wonder of Him and His coming. Ask for His light to orient you— for Him to be the lens by which you see yourself, Him, and the world around you.
Take some time to journal your thoughts and reflections, noting anything you sense Him speaking.
Creative Response:
Consider the sonnet below, by Malcolm Guite. What line impacts you the most?
“I cannot think unless I have been thought,
Nor can I speak unless I have been spoken.
I cannot teach except as I am taught,
Or break the bread except as I am broken.
O Mind behind the mind through which I seek,
O Light within the light by which I see,
O Word beneath the words with which I speak,
O founding, unfound Wisdom, finding me,
O sounding Song whose depth is sounding me,
O Memory of time, reminding me,
My Ground of Being, always grounding me,
My Maker’s Bounding Line, defining me,
Come, hidden Wisdom, come with all you bring,
Come to me now, disguised as everything.”If you can, take a moment to got outside in the sun and let it shine on your face, soaking it in for 5 minutes or so. Then, look around, enjoying all that is visible to you because of the light of the sun. Journal any thoughts and reflections from this experience.
If you’d like, write a poem or song from the inspiration you’ve gleaned from today’s prompt.