Embracing the Light

PROPERS: SECOND SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY 

TEXT:       1 SAMUEL 3:1-20; JOHN 1:43-51                                             

PREACHED AT ST. ST. JOHN’S, PASCAGOULA, ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 14, 2024

 

ONE SENTENCE:        The light of Christ (from God) comes subtly or suddenly into our lives. 

 

            One of my more humorous recollections of childhood is from my maternal grandmother’s house in Hattiesburg.

 

            It was a large, decrepit, old house my great grandfather had ordered from Sears Roebuck and built for my great grandmother. It was on a large lot at 2400 Hardy Street in Hattiesburg.  That lot is now a Methodist Church.

 

            Trust me – it had seen better days. But it was a source of awe and amusement for me and my young cousins. None of us would dare to go into the dark, damp basement.

 

            On occasion, though, we would venture down the winding stairs at night, with all lights off.  We were heading toward the kitchen. The lights had push buttons for on and off – a fashion of earlier times, I assume.

 

            Having snuck quietly down the dark stairs, one of us would reach around the corner and turn on the lights suddenly.

 

            The floor would move! Various critters would scurry to their hiding places. Lord knows what they were.

 

            We squealed with delight.  The light had pierced the darkness.

 

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            This is the season of light – Epiphany, that is.  The light of Christ has come into the world. As John’s gospel noted two Sundays ago, the darkness did not overcome it.

 

            The three elements of the season of Epiphany are the Visit of the Magi, the Baptism of Jesus, and the Wedding in Cana.  You have or will hear the accounts of all three. They each point toward the messiahship of Jesus.  They shed light on him as unique in all of history. Light is the image of the season.

 

            Throughout scripture, light is seen as a sign of God’s movement in the world.  It begins with the creation narrative in the Book of Genesis.  Psalm 27 says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” 

 

            The light of a star guides the Magi to see the newborn Jesus. The old man, Simeon, noted at the eight-day-old Jesus’ presentation, refers to Jesus as “a lighten to enlighten the Nations.”

 

            Jesus refers to himself as “the light of the world.” (John 9:5). 

 

            Today, light is healing and is used in some medical treatments to heal wounds.

 

            But let’s be honest. Light causes shadows.  Like in my grandmother’s house, some things scurry away from light.  Some things within ourselves. And we may not know when darkness is motivating us if the light was not present in us.

 

            And as I noted a few weeks ago, we all have dark, unbaptized corners of our heart. Those need to be brought into the light. How do we do so?

 

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            First, we listen. It can come subtly. In the first lesson today, young Samuel hears God calling to him.  Yet his mentor, an old priest named Eli, could not hear it. It was not until he was quiet and trusting that he was able to hear God’s call to him.

 

            Second, we are attentive to God’s movement around us. It can come suddenly. In the gospel lesson today, Nathanael was likely living an ordinary life when his friend beckoned him to come see Jesus.  It was in those moments of first encounter that Nathanael’s eyes were opened, and he saw the truth.

 

            The light which comes creates a city on a hill, which can be seen for miles. It is, as Jesus says, a light which you do not place under a bushel basket.

 

            Subtly or suddenly, it comes. It can guide you – if you listen and are attentive – to those dark recesses of your spirit that have not yet been shown the light.