In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:4-5)

Saturday – after quite a long spell of gray, rainy, stormy, somewhat dismal wintry weather – the skies cleared, the mercury crept up, and we enjoyed a glorious spring-like day that offered the promise of more to come. When you haven’t seen such a cloudless day in a while, then a blue sky seems clearer still.

Many people experience day-to-day life as a struggle for meaning, something they have to steel themselves to tolerate in order to survive; and life builds up a dismal residue of grind, fatigue, disappointment, and fog. Thoreau referred to this as “quiet desperation,” and Oliver Wendell Holmes lamented “those that never sing, but die with all their music in them.”

Some even experience church only as a picture, or a hint, or a glimmer of hope. They believe, but they still live from day-to-day as if springtime is only a dream in the distant future rather than a promise within their grasp.

But the wonderful, refreshing, light-filled experience of being part of a vibrant worshipping community is only one aspect of what is possible through new life in Jesus. We don’t come to worship to temporarily expose ourselves to light; we invite God’s light and life to inhabit our souls, and then we carry that light with us into every situation we live.

REAL LIFE! I love both worship services here at our new church home, but Sunday morning is only a part of a bigger story. Our opportunity is to do more than listen to The Greatest Story Ever Told, our opportunity is to live The Greatest Story Ever Told.

Here in Wake Forest Rebekah and I are more than hopeful about the springtime – we’re blessed to be witnesses to more and more evidence of the promise of light and life.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)