Darkness and Light

Times of darkness are real, and they are tough. They can feel overwhelming. John’s message is that as God’s children we are never alone in the darkness.

John 1:5-13

In our darkness, we can experience a flicker of hope because Jesus is the inextinguishable light of our loving God.

I remember our first night in Tekin in a remote part of the highlands of Papua New Guinea. The generator and the 12 volt battery-run lights had been turned off. Clouds covered the sky. I woke during the night and found my way to the window and looked outside. It was black – totally black - and it was disorienting and somewhat disturbing.

When John wrote his Gospel, it was a dark time for the Jews. Their temple was destroyed by the Romans and most of them had been scattered far and wide. Most of us have experienced dark times in our lives. For some of us, that’s our experience right now. Sometimes, there seems to be no glimmer of hope. And the experience is disorienting and disturbing.

Right from the start of his Gospel, John brings us a message of hope – a message of light and life and welcome by God who never leaves us when we put our trust in him. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).

Times of darkness are real, and they are tough. They can feel overwhelming. John’s message is that as God’s children we are never alone in the darkness. He knows our situation and our pain. He is with us. He cares for us. He weeps with us. In our darkness, we can experience a flicker of hope because Jesus is the inextinguishable light of our loving God.

John Peterson