When we come home after dark, we usually turn on the lights at the front and back doors to light our way. We even have lights along our driveway to guide us to the doors.
Over the years, we have also learned how important light is to our spiritual growth. Like the sun that always shines its light, God continually shines the light of His infinite goodness to meet our every need—just as He always has. He commissioned Moses to lead the children of Israel out of the darkness of slavery and sent Jesus Christ to raise the world out of the darkness of sin, sickness, and death.
Kathy Ball
The Bible tells us: “Let there be light… And God separated the light from the darkness.” (Genesis 1:3, 4) It was this light—this expression of God’s presence and power—that enabled Moses to prevail over strong opposition to his mission and establish God’s laws for all to live by. (See Exodus 20:1-17)
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Jesus demonstrated the power of God to heal the sick and sinners. Just as the light of the sun penetrates the darkness, he overcame every challenge that came his way, including the opposition of those who did not agree with his teaching or approve of his healing work.
Jesus saw himself as someone who illuminates the way to salvation for all people. He said: “I have come into the world as a light, so that whoever believes in me should not remain in darkness. And whoever hears my words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I have not come to judge the world but to redeem the world.” (John 12:46, 47)
Earlier in this Gospel we read: “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). How comforting it is to know that this law and truth continue to light the way for all of us, expressing God’s love.
Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the Christian Science Church, was once healed of severe internal injuries. Her doctor had given up on her, but she opened her Bible to one of Jesus’ healings and recovered very quickly. The spiritual light she received from this helped her to realize that if she could be healed, others could benefit from that light and be healed themselves. This led to her writing her major work, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.
Eddy writes, “‘Let there be light’ is the constant demand of truth and love, transforming chaos into order and dissonance into the music of the spheres” (Science and Health, p. 255). The capitalization of “truth” and “love” indicates that they are synonyms for God.
It is encouraging to know that the light of Christ is still present today, fulfilling Jesus’ mission to “reveal the science of heavenly being, to prove what God is and what he does for man” (ibid., p. 29). Let us not forget to turn on the light!
Kathy Ball is a member of First Church of Christ, Scientist, Napa, 2210 Second St., 707-255-5255. Services: Sunday 10-11 a.m., Wednesday 7-8 p.m. We have expanded the hours of our reading room at the church. It is now open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 1-4 p.m. For information about Christian Science, visit christiansciencenapa.com or christianscience.com.
