Wednesday, March 14, 2012

by
Rev. Dr. Jo Hudson
Senior Pastor

Scripture
Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light. John 12. 36

A Word of Hope
Have you ever met anyone who seems as if they are shining from the inside out? Oh, I don’t suppose any of us are ever really free from all the ups and downs; bumps and bruises of life, but it just seems that there are some people who hold within them a light so bright that even the worst possible circumstances do not snuff their light out.

Well, according to Jesus, you and I can be that kind of person. We can be people who live with intentionality, being people who try to see the good in circumstances and people, being people who try our best to respond to events and others with love and grace rather than judgment and hate. That is sometimes hard to do. Being a “child of the light” is a challenge in a world where it seems as if civility has been lost.

My devotional this morning reminded me that at one of the most critical moments in his life, when he was confronted by soldiers who were going to arrest him, Jesus told his disciples to “put away your swords.” You see, Jesus would rather be arrested and face his own death than to use violence, any kind of violence, against someone else. Can you imagine that? No wonder, more than two thousand years later, we still call him, “the Light of the World.”

So, won’t you join me today in making a conscious decision to do something that brings light to someone’s dark world? Won’t you join me today in being open to how someone is being a light for you? If you do, you may well discover that Jesus’ promise is true. If you put your trust in Jesus, the Light of the world, you will become a “child of the light.”

Prayer
Loving God, Abba of Jesus Christ and my Abba, draw me to your light. Fill me once again with your light and your love and give me strength and courage to pour out your light into others. Amen.