A LIGHT SHINES IN THE DARKNESS

Photo by Ralph Felzer

A LIGHT SHINES IN THE DARKNESS

We all know that God spoke the whole of Creation into being in Genesis 1.  "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…."  Day and night, sea and sky, stars and planets, and human beings.    

And then, in a work of incredible beauty and profound complexity, the Apostle John picks up this creation melody at the very beginning of his gospel.  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being ⁴ in him was life, and the life was the light of all people."  

From all this, we understand a simple truth that, in spite of its simplicity, we can never plumb the depths of–when God speaks, life begins.  Where chaos and darkness rule, order and life have come.  Things that had no being suddenly come into being.  

And then we see Luke providing us with a little backstory to John's account of the Word–Jesus–coming into the world: the Nativity Story in Luke 1-2.  The angel Gabriel appears to the virgin Mary and announces that God has a plan.  But just when we expect God to simply act, we see something incredible–we see God invite Mary to participate in His plan!  He doesn't force His way, He doesn't coerce or manipulate her in any way, He simply announces what He intends to do.  If she chose, Mary could push back against Gabriel's announcement, but instead her reply is the beautifully simple, "Here I am, the servant of the Lord.  Be it done to me according to Your word" (Luke 1:38).

I say all this in part because it's Advent and we're anticipating Christmas.  But I say it also because in a way I believe we are all Mary.  In Genesis 1 God spoke.  Throughout the history of the people of God and the raising up of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God spoke.  When Israel went into captivity in Egypt and Moses challenged Pharaoh to set God's people free, God spoke.  When the time for the Messiah arose, again God spoke (first to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist) and then as we've seen, to Mary.

Let's back up for a moment and look at the story of Joseph, Jacob's son.  When he was just a child, God sent him dreams that he and the rest of his family knew foretold that his brothers would one day serve him and bow down to him.  In the meantime, Joseph grows up, his brothers grow increasingly jealous and, stopping just short of actually killing him, they throw him into a pit and leave him there to die (they had consciences, after all!).  But Joseph is rescued from the pit, taken into Pharaoh's household and given a position higher than any but Pharaoh himself.  Again, though, he faces hostility and unjust accusations are made against him, and he is abruptly thrown into prison.  Other prisoners promise to help him, but they forget all about him when they are released.   It seems that Joseph will be lost and forgotten.

What about those dreams, though?  I love this passage about Joseph in the Psalms:  "Until what He had said came to pass, the word of the Lord kept testing him" (105:19).  You see, God had spoken a word over Joseph, and throughout all of Joseph's trials, the question was not so much "Will God be faithful to Joseph and fulfill the dreams of his childhood?"  No, the question was: "Will Joseph continue to believe the word God spoke over him?"  This is how God "tests" us.  God is testing Joseph's faith, meaning He is casting Joseph's faith into a sort of crucible into which we might put gold or silver ore in order to cleanse it of impurities.  Joseph's faith is purified and strengthened in the crucible of doubt and difficulty, in the fire of adversity.  Joseph chooses faith and rejects despair.

God still speaks.  It's one thing for us to study the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Zechariah, and Mary looking for principles and patterns of faith that we can perhaps learn from.

But my question for you is:  What creative "Genesis" word has God spoken over you?  What is it that God wants to call into being in you?  Just as He spoke into chaos and darkness and created the universe.  Just as He spoke to Mary and with her consent life came into being in her womb (again, see John 1).  Just so, He continues to speak.

Do you believe that?  Do you believe God is speaking to you?  What new life does God want to birth in you?  

Over the years, God has used a number of Scripture passages to reveal Himself to me and to give me affirmation, healing, encouragement, and direction.  Among them are Philippians 4:8-9, Isaiah 61:1-4, Psalm 74:3, and Colossians 1:9-12.  I could (and would love to) give sermons on every one of these … and more!  But the point is that God is speaking.  And the question is "Do we have ears to hear?  Are we listening?"  Will we harden our hearts against the word God is speaking to us?  Will we be like those in John 12 who, when the Father confirms to Jesus and the disciples that He has–and will–glorify His name, fail to hear God's voice and instead hear only … thunder?

What are the verses, stories, characters that have shaped you?  Go deeper than just "my favorite passages."  Ask yourself, "Why do these stories resonate in me the way they do?  What virtues, traits, and characteristics do I admire–and want to see formed–in me?  How has God's Word transformed me over the course of my believing life?

We can only know so much of any other person's story, but how beautiful would it be if people could tell their life stories simply by assembling a collection of the Bible verses, stories, and characters that have shaped them!  How much greater and deeper would our love for one another be if we knew the tale of one another's long journey to wholeness and new life in Christ?

As part of your Advent preparation, why not consider writing some of those down?  Why not share them with someone?  What a wonderful way to deepen intimacy in our relationships!  What a great way to challenge ourselves to be vulnerable with one another!  We might say to one another:  "Right in the middle of the most painful time of my life, God led me to the story of ______ , and I found strength and hope and peace with which to face it, and grow beyond it.  I'm a better man/woman today because God spoke to me then!"

Genesis 1 says that chaos and darkness covered the face of the deep.  But God then spoke and all things came into existence.  What creative, life-giving word has God spoken over the chaos and darkness of your own life?  

I believe with all my heart that God has spoken these life-giving words over every man and woman who has ever drawn breath.  The journey of life is about discovering that word, listening for it–and then listening to it, obeying it, following it, living it.

What are those stories for you?  What are those verses?  Who are those characters?

Be encouraged, friend, for God, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, who spoke all worlds into being, is both with you and for you.