Glimpses of Light

Today in church we celebrated Epiphany (which was on January 6, as always): the revealing of Jesus' coming to the Gentiles, the wise men who visited him from the East.  A theme of Epiphany is light--Jesus brings light into the world, showing the Way to eternal life to everyone, Jewish and Gentile (non-Jewish) alike.  He was the Light in a dark world, illuminating the world's sinfulness, and drawing people to himself.  Now we, as his children, children of the Light, are reflections of him, just as the moon reflects the sun.

The moon is not the sun; it is smaller and depends on the sun for its own light.  But the moon reflects the sun, sharing the light of the sun into a world dark with night.  In the same way, we do not produce the light of Christ on our own, but he shines in and through us, illuminating the world like candles in a dark room.  Jesus said in the book of Matthew, "Let your light so shine that men may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."  (Matthew 5:16)

Today's Joy Dare is about light: "light that caught you, a reflection that surprised you, a shadow that fell lovely."
In our bedroom and bathroom in the afternoon, the west-facing windows are filled with light from the setting sun.  The rooms simply glow, bathed in golden light.
The china cabinet in the living room is reflecting the light coming through the window.  In the glass cabinet doors I can see the curtain and the colors of the setting sun in the sky behind it.
The room is mostly dark at the moment, everything bathed in shadow.  Joshua's face, sitting at his desk, is profiled against the window behind him, each feature outlined perfectly, dark against the still-light window.

This week I want to be looking for glimpses of Light--the Light, Christ, in others around me.  And I hope to be a light in the world, shining Christ for everyone to see.