"But if in the light we may be walking as He Himself is in the light, sharing we are having with one another and the blood of Jesus His Son is cleansing us from all sin."
-On the other side of the spectrum (opposite darkness) we have a life which is walking in the Light. In other words, walking with the One Who is (constantly) in the light, because He Himself IS THE Light. No hiding. No pretending. No lying. We’re not talking unblemished perfection, at least not on our end. We're talking about truth. Honesty. Being honest about our short-comings and fears and weaknesses and bringing them into the light, to the One Who can and will cleanse and forgive them, and to the ones who can extend us the kind of practical grace which reinforces for us the reality of God’s grace which He has lavished on us in Jesus.
-This kind of honesty and transparency is vital, indispensible to any kind of deep soul-satisfying sharing which God’s children would have with one another. We can keep talking about the latest weather and current events and politics (well, maybe not politics) and movies and sports and all the other unnecessaries. But did not Christ Himself say quite plainly that only one thing is necessary (Luke 10.42)? Was He not in that moment trying to help Martha get past all the fringe surfacy issues which inundate our lives, and bring her back to True North? Is that not what God’s people are called to do for one another, to come together and spur one another on towards love and good deeds and towards Jesus (Hebrews 10.24-25, 12.1-2)? Fellowship with one another. Sharing. Journeying together in community, one-souled. It’s not simply intellectual agreement about a certain set of facts. Nor is it just 18 inches of pew once a fortnight. Not just another meeting. Not merely a meal and some insipid group chat about what we liked in the sermon that week. We’re talking real life. Highs AND lows. Struggles and hurts and junk. Unbearable burdens which we take up and take on in comm(on)unity. We need to come out of the isolation of darkness and into the Light of the family of God.
-And in doing so, we find cleansing. Healing. Grace and forgiveness. Acceptance. Victory. All made possible by the blood of Jesus, that cleansing crimson flow poured out at Calvary for the sins of the world. For my sins, every last one of them. And for yours. And when we come together as two (or more) forgiven people, real, honest souls, walking in the love and grace and truth of the One Who is all of these and so much more, it is... Heavenly. Heaven come down and glory, filling my soul. A thing of beauty. Moving beyond the pretense or false bravado or fake got-my-act-all-togetherness which we instinctively bring to the table so much of the time. Walking in the Light doesn’t mean we’re perfect, that we have it all together. But by the grace of God and the blood of Jesus, as we join hands with other would-be luminaries, we find that we are being perfected together, drawing closer and closer and becoming more and more like the One Who died for us to make it all possible. Not just isolated candles but a candelabra. Not a single spotlight but an entire bank of high tech LED stadium lights - lighting the darkness and shining the light on Jesus for miles and miles around. He is True North, our bright Morning Star, our Lighthouse and our shelter in the storm. He is our Destination, and the Way, and the Means to get there. Praise Him!
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