by Pastor Douglas Brauner

The Power of Light

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

The essence of photography is light: light interacting with the world. Take a moment and look at this picture and ask yourself, “What is light doing?”

It’s funny how light seems not to exist unless it has something with which to interact. The universe is filled with darkness, deep darkness, a darkness we find difficult to experience on this planet. However, that same universe is filled with light when something interacts with light emitted from stars.

We’ve all seen pictures of the Apollo mission to the moon. Have you noticed the contrast between the brightness of the moon and the darkness that surrounds it?

Light doesn’t mean much when there is nothing to interact with it and everything when there is.

The season of Epiphany begins with Isaiah’s words,

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.”
Isaiah 60:1 English Standard Version

This light of God interacts with us. God is the light source and we both absorb that light and reflect it.

Think about color for a moment. The beauty of color is that it is both light absorbed and light reflected. In the same way, the light of Jesus’ love is both absorbed and reflected by us.

His light penetrates the core of who we are. It reveals our brokenness and comforts us with forgiveness. It shows us where we have failed God and where he has forgiven us through the darkness of Jesus’ death on the cross. The power of God’s forgiving light is that it changes us.

It is this change that is reflected in our lives. What change do people see in you? (I’m sorry, but “nothing” is not an option.) By definition, light must be reflected. Isaiah reminds us that the light of God has risen on us and shines on us. We reflect his light. What change do people see in the Christian community as God’s light is reflected by us?

That’s a tough question, yet one on which we ought to ponder. The power of God’s light is everything.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado