For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

2 Corinthians 4:6-7

It is an interesting devotional discipline to pick a word, or an idea, for the week. What tends to happen is that I begin to see the world around me through a kind of lens created by that word.

This is a similar effect as framing our life in the context of story. What happens is that we interpret our experiences in the framework of that story. People who see their lives as a positive, encouraging, purposeful story tend to experience events in that light. People who live out of a negative mindset tend to interpret events – even if they are the exactly the same – as a confirmation of what they see to be their unifying narrative.

That’s why I like to think in terms of not just telling the Good New story, but actually living as participants in “The Greatest Story Ever Told.”

Decoder Ring!

So my word this week is “Light”. This is my framework, my lens, my decoder ring for the first week in Advent.

It is no surprise, then, that I see light everywhere I look!

Of course, as someone who enjoys photography, my eyes are always framing the world in terms of light and shadow. I am a huge fan of natural light, and I do all I can to resist using a flash on my camera. Artificial illumination tends to wash things out and rob them of definition.

One reason Jesus is described as the Light of the World is because he brings definition, and beauty, and clarity, and life. Jesus shines in and through me much the same way that the moon reflects light from the sun. If I offer the world around me any light at all it is because, first, Jesus has filled me up.

The difference, of course, is that while the moon merely bounces light our way, Jesus fills us with light that we can absorb, and carry with us. The illumination the moon offers is a borrowed light, but God saturates with light and power that become, in a sense, our own.

Light in action:

I’d like to finish this post with this short video clip from Wednesday evening at church. After a really good dinner in the fellowship hall, we went into the sanctuary, where children from a local elementary school regaled us with a lively, enthusiastic, beautifully directed concert.

The choir director, Katie Schultz, is an elder at Howard Memorial and a teacher at the school. Her verve and enthusiasm represent exactly what I am talking about in this post. The kind of light that shines through Katie’s work reaches the children too, and their parents, and the community.

This is Advent light, both given and received.

 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:16