Epiphany: Light in the Darkness
We are in the season of Epiphany, a season where we celebrate that Christ has come as a light for the Gentiles (all nations).
It is this season between Christ’s birth and His death and resurrection that reminds us to open our eyes and see who Christ is. To allow God to reveal Himself through the light of Christ himself - how He lived and what He taught.
This first day of Epiphany commemorates the three Magi who followed the Bethlehem star to visit Christ; their journey towards the light.
We are all on a journey to discover bit by bit Christ illuminating the darkness of our world and our hearts with himself. While it can be a treacherous journey at times, journeying into the darkness of our own hearts, I cling to the promise that the darkness will not overcome him.
Perhaps this year especially, we are desperately longing for light more than we have ever been.
If you’re like me, some days, when I look at the thick darkness in the world, I wonder, “Can the light really overcome this?”
Like two weeks ago, when the insurrection occurred at the US Capitol, the darkness felt insurmountable.
Several days after this event, I felt like a shroud of thick darkness was over me. It was hard to think, hard to pray, hard to even know what to say or what to do. I felt lost.
While I lamented to God about the ugliness of sin and hate and racism and destruction, He reminded me that the insurrection happened on the first day of Epiphany.
It was striking the contrast - between the thick darkness of hate and the lust for power on full display on a day when we celebrate Jesus as the light of the world.
Dawn’s Light
For the next few days, as I was trying to wrap my head around this idea of Christ’s light shining in the darkness, Amanda Gorman stepped up to the podium and closed her poem with these words,
“The new dawn blooms as we free it.
For there is always light,
If only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.”
-Amanda Gorman
We’ve seen these words blow up on our feeds this last week. But why did they resonate with us so much?
Perhaps because we’ve been fumbling around, looking for words, looking for meaning, looking for purpose amidst so much darkness in our world. And Amanda Gorman named it for us. She gave us a hand to hold as we stumble through the darkness towards the light.
Because the truth is, we are all in this space between sunset and sunrise, trying to hold our darkness up to the light. Trying to be brave.
Becoming Exposed to the Light
It takes courage to allow God to illuminate what is hidden in darkness within our hearts and world. It is painful to have our darkness exposed. But this is the only path towards healing.
Paul puts it this way in Ephesians,
“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret, but…
(And here is the encouraging part)...
"everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said:
'Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
-Ephesians 5:11-15
God is the only one who sees what lies hidden in darkness in the human heart and in our world. And these days, the “fruitless deeds of darkness” are being exposed for all the world to see.
But it isn’t just our world that is being exposed. It is me too. I have to remind myself that when I see darkness in the world - it is in me too.
Being Brave Enough to See the Light
I’m recognizing again and again that I am blind and that I can’t see without God illuminating the darkness.
And it takes courage to look into the face of your own sin and allow Him to expose it. To ask God revealing questions like I have been lately,
Where do You need to illuminate racism in me?
Where do You need to illuminate pride in me?
Where is my desire for comfort greater than the desire for the thriving of the poor and oppressed and marginalized in our world?
Being Brave Enough to Be Light
The light is all around us, we just have to be willing to see it. And like Amanda Gorman said, to be brave enough to see it. Brave enough to allow it to expose the darkness within ourselves and within our world through His truth and through His love.
And brave enough to be it.
Paul unpacks the essence of how one goes about exposing darkness in the next few verses,
“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil...”
Ephesians 5:14-16
We are to illuminate the darkness with how we live. By how we make the most of every opportunity to do His good in the world.
Filled with Light
And, to do this, we must continue to fix our eyes on the light. To be filled with it
“Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
-Ephesians 5:18-20
We fill ourselves with light when we remember who God is and what He has done for us and call it to mind. When we make music within our hearts to Him. When we sing the song our lives were meant to sing.
And we need to sing this music to one another. Because it is in the company of this radiant, beautiful music expressed in community that softens our hearts to receive the light of God’s truth that frees us from ourselves.
Reflection:
Ask God - where do you need to expose the darkness within me? What do you want to illuminate?
What darkness are you exposing in the world these days? What is the work you have called me to do that can bring this darkness to light?
Close your time singing a Psalm, Hymn, or spiritual song of praise for who God is and what He is done. Allow His light and beauty to fill you.
A Prayer:
Light of the World,
Illuminate the darkness in me and illuminate the darkness in the world so that I can see it the way You do. Help me to see by Your light - may I be on the lookout to see it everywhere and embrace whatever it is You want to teach me through it.
Amen
