Day 4 - Light of the world

There are times in our lives when we are faced with the inevitable – a fait accompli. We feel unable to avoid or deter or even influence the result. Recently was one of those times, when I sat listening to the world news on television, with a feeling of foreboding, imminently facing the inevitable invasion of Ukraine.

There can never be a justification for invading another country in such circumstances, forcing people to decide whether to stay and fight or seek safety with their families. We can only imagine how they must have felt when faced with such a choice, and through the media we heard that many of them pledged to fight to protect their country’s sovereignty and freedom.

As I sat praying and contemplating the situation in Ukraine, I, along with millions of others faced what was to come, with feelings of fear, sadness, and total helplessness.

Hymns can often help us vocalise our feelings, and bring us comfort at difficult times, as well as times of joy. One hymn that seems appropriate is ‘Light of the World’ written by Tim Hughes in 2000.

Light of the world, you stepped down into darkness,

Opened my eyes, let me see

Beauty that made this heart adore You,

Hope of a life spent with you.

As with many hymns its words are rooted in scripture, in particular, a verse in John’s Gospel.

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life. John 8:12

When things are tough, and things aren’t going to plan it can be easy to forget God and not turn to Him at these times. But God will give us strength, clarity, and a sense of calm. During Lent this seems to take on new meaning and urgency and in Matthew’s Gospel we are reminded that the ‘Spirit of God’ lives in each of us, and that we are the ones who can make the world a better place.

“You are the light of the world” - Matthew 5:14.

We have a responsibility to earn the light and we are reminded that we all have a role to play in making our world a better place.

So here I am to worship,

Here I am to bow down,

Here I am to say that you’re my God;

You’re altogether lovely,

Altogether worthy,

Altogether wonderful to me’.

A great reminder to us and such comforting words at a time when we need reassurance of God’s never-ending love.

And the words at the end of the hymn:

And I’ll never know how much it cost

To see my sin upon that cross,

And I’ll never know how much it cost

To see my sin upon that cross.

When things go wrong for us, and when we make wrong decisions, it is reassuring to remember that Jesus died to take away our sins, but it can never be an excuse for knowingly doing wrong, especially when our actions hurt other people. We can draw strength from knowing that when times are difficult and when things seem almost impossible God is there with us. He has our back, and we can never thank Him enough.

Lord God our Father,

Give us knowledge and insight so that we understand,

So that we make decisions based on a wider perspective.

Give us patience so that we can wait when we need to,

And give us the ability to love others even when they appear unlovable.

You are a loving Lord, who is forgiving and accepting of our faults,

Lord of all we give you our thanks and praise. Amen.

Kathy Shaw