Light Effects

I remember, a few years back, when we were living in Columbus, that for the entire month of January, the sun did not shine once. It was cloudy, it seemed, for one, whole month. It was so gloomy. And it affected me as well as a lot of other people. That long without sunshine causes many people to feel cloudy inside, depressed, lethargic, gloomy. When the sun finally did peak out of the clouds, it brightened up everyone’s spirits. It was an amazing thing to experience, the effect sunlight can have on someone who has been deprived of it for a long time. It is invigorating and revitalizing. Life did not seem as burdensome once the sun started shining again.
There is something about sunlight that can really make a difference. Light in general has such a powerful influence. Walking through a dark building can be creepy. It makes a big difference if a light gets turned on. Even the small light of a candle can have a positive influence. It is a beautiful sight to be in here on Christmas Eve to see all the candle-lit faces. A remarkable thing these days is to attend a concert when everyone is asked to open up their cell phones. It looks like a galaxy of stars throughout the arena. All of these light effects impact us in a real way.
This truth is certainly not lost on God, and how God reveals Himself to the world. As the prophet Isaiah said, “Arise, shine, for your light has come.” Jesus Christ is the light of the world. The wise men followed an extraordinary star that led them to Jesus. References to light and the effects of light are interwoven throughout the Scriptures. A few points can be made about light, the light of truth, and how this light impacts us and impacts the world.
We turn to the wise men, who were star-gazers. They saw in the sky what appeared to be a star that symbolized for them the birth of a king. They were compelled to follow this star. But we discover that this is no ordinary star. Only the wise men seem to have made sense out of it since Herod and his advisors had no knowledge of this birth of a king. But it wasn’t even a star, because this star moved. The star led the wise men to Bethlehem, even setting upon the house where Jesus was. This was not a star. It was a supernatural sign given by God in order to get the attention of these star gazers from Persia. The Jews had the prophets to give them signs of the birth of Jesus. The Persians had their knowledge of astrology, and God offered a sign that got their attention. This star, this supernatural light, drew Persians to Bethlehem in order to worship this new-born king. What an amazing impact this light effect had on these wise men, that they would take on such a long, risky journey in order to worship and offer gifts to a baby, for whom they did not need to impress or get on the good side of. Persians had nothing to fear of Israel. There was no obvious reason why these wise men needed to do what they did. But there was something about that star that compelled them to go on this journey. There is something about Jesus that continues to draw people to Him. People of every nation are drawn to the light of Christ. This is what the wise men symbolize for us. In various ways and means, God sends signs that relate to people of various cultures, which lead them to Jesus.
Again, what did the wise men do when they came before Christ? They fell down on their faces and worshipped him. And then, they gave him gifts. These actions fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah and in the Psalms that the nations will come bringing gifts for the king. These wise men, when they completed their quest, when they found what or who they were looking for, did not ask questions, did not talk among themselves, they worshipped and gave of their treasures. This is what happens when we encounter God, when we encounter the One our hearts have been yearning for. It’s not a time to ask questions or be chatty and light hearted. It is a time to fall down and worship, and give the best we have. This is worship in spirit and truth. This is the effect Jesus had on these wise men from Persia and the effect God continues to have on those that encounter Him in Jesus Christ. When we gather for worship and offer what we have, we are repeating this action of the wise men, and doing our small part in fulfilling God’s purposes for all of creation, which is to be united in worship of God. Yes, we are fulfilling the purposes of God when we, like the wise men, come into the presence of God and worship Him.
After the wise men worshipped Christ, they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod but to go home by a different way. We know this needed to happen because of Herod’s evil intentions. However, since the wise men did not tell Herod where Jesus was, Herod went to plan b and had killed all boys under the age of 2 in Bethlehem. Tradition tells us that soon after this slaughter took place, Herod became ill of a disease that ate away at his flesh, causing him to die a painful death. But the damage was done, and Herod’s slaughter of the innocents reminds us that although the light has dawned, darkness remains, and it is a thick darkness. We live in a perpetual dawn. There is a little light on the horizon, but for the most part, there is darkness. The birth of Jesus and the slaughter of the infants remind us of this ongoing reality.
So, the wise men followed the directions of the angel in the dream. They did what they were told, a mark of obedient faith. They did not question or argue among themselves. They simply did what they were told. This is a good example for us in that when we receive instruction on what direction we should live our lives, we ought not resist or argue about it, but faithfully do as God is directing us. This is what wise, faithful people do.
But there is something else we can take from the wise men going home by a different way. This, too, is an example of the effect an encounter with the light of God can have on us. When we encounter God, we are changed. When we step out of our routine lives and encounter the timeless God in worship, we do not go back to our ordinary lives by the same road. When we encounter God, new roads are opened to us. Our path of life changes when we see the light. We take a different path. We continue on our journey of life, but by a different way. We change our priorities. We see ourselves and others differently. The world looks different. The wise men returned to their familiar home, but they were different. They had found who they were searching for. They were returning home, no longer as seekers, but as ones who had seen the light. In varying degrees, this is true for us as well. Yes, we will always be seekers. As Paul tells us, God’s wisdom is manifold. That means every door unlocked in God’s storehouse of wisdom opens up to whole new vistas. God’s wisdom and knowledge is unfathomable. We are always being enlightened and can never “know it all.” Still, when we encounter God, when we first see the light, we are at least pointing ourselves in the right direction. We are not completely lost, stumbling in the dark. In the confusing and darkened world, at least we have a candle to see where we are going. In this perpetual dawn the world is in, at least we are facing east.
There is a great story that is told by a missionary about an experience he had in India. It was the early dawn, and he and many others were walking home which happened to be toward the west. It was dark and everyone was hard to see; shadowy figures in the early morning. Some people approached them. They were walking toward the east, toward the rising sun. And the missionary noted that these who were facing east, their faces had a faint glow as their skin reflected the light that was coming from the rising sun. And it struck him that this is a symbol of the effect the light of God has on followers of Christ, on those who have repented, turned their lives toward the east, toward the Sun of Righteousness. Their faces light up as they reflect the light of the Son. Let us continue on our life journeys, committing ourselves to continue facing east, letting the light of God shine on us, that we might reflect God’s light in a way that draws others to the light.