Awake, awake: fling off the night!

For God has sent his glorious light.

How did you feel as you woke up this morning? Was the sun shining through the window opening your eyes to the frost glinting on the trees, or was there a heavy mist that hid the sun and turned everything into ghostly shapes?

No doubt that the light would have affected your mood. When the days are dark and the nights are long our mood becomes darker too. Some people are so affected by this loss of light that they become depressed, suffering from what is now called, Seasonally

Affective Disorder (SAD).

Our emotions are not the only element of our lives governed by light. Our sense of distance, and our conception of shapes and sizes, owe more to the light that falls on objects than the objects themselves. As described by the contemporary American artist JamesTurrrell:

“Light is not so much something that reveals, as is itself the revelation”

The masters of light were, of course, the Impressionists, and one artist above all the others studied the way light changes the way we see and feel. Claude Monet captured the subtleties of colour and light in his series of paintings of Rouen Cathedral, completed between 1892 – 1893. If we compare the painting of Rouen Cathedral in bright afternoon sunlight with one painted in the early morning mist, the sharp outlines of the cathedral dissolve into a soft gradient of blues giving the building a completely different character.

The words used by Jesus ‘Salt and light’ point us to an understanding of faith that mirrors the experience of artists. The author and poet C.S Lewis describes his faith in this way:

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not because I see it, but because by it I see everything else”

To live by faith is to see the world in a different light, in the light of a loving God who in his love comes among us to show us how to live. The salt Jesus refers to was not our table salt but a rich mixture used as fertiliser to nourish the soil. It was probably a form of Nitrate- ‘Salitre’. It was dug up around the Dead Sea and then spread onto the land where it released its mineral wealth. It was no good keeping it in a heap somewhere because then all that goodness would leach away, instead, it must be spread out where it can do the most good. The picture is an excellent one to describe a life of faith today. It is not just a part of the culture that shapes us and makes us the people we are but also holds the vision and the values of that culture.

When Jesus uses the image of light he speaks of something not hidden away in the soil but set apart on a hill, shining out brightly as a beacon to the rest of the world. This speaks to us of the challenge that the Christian faith brings to every generation not just to work for a better world but to challenge the culture of the world we live in. As light by its nature brings life so it also exposes darkness. Faith not only holds the values and vision of a healthy society it is also a ‘counter-cultural’ message!

The words of Jesus challenge us to see the world in a different light and by our lives to bring a distinctive vision of the ‘good life’. To live in such a way makes a difference in the world around us.

Jesus reminds us that we face in two directions and are citizens of two kingdoms, the earthly and the heavenly, sharing in the life of the world and the life of heaven. If the church is to continue to serve the world we must make sure our lives are lived in the light of Christ’s revelation of faith, hope, and love.

As the hymn expresses it:

“ Awake and rise, with love renewed,

And with the Spirit’s power endued.

The light of life in us must glow,

And fruits of truth and goodness show”

Rev. Simon Brignall

We continue to pray for those recovering from an operation or waiting for an operation.

Prayer for Ukraine

God of peace and justice

we pray for the people of Ukraine today,

and the laying down of weapons.

we pray for all those who fear for tomorrow,

that your spirit of comfort would draw near to them.

We pray for those with power over war and peace,

for wisdom, discernment, and compassion to guide their decisions

Above all, we pray for all your precious children at risk and in fear,

That you would hold and protect them.

We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Amen

I am contactable from Thursday to Sunday.