The True Light

I was looking through a photo gallery this week, in awe of how truly artistic photographers capture the light — much better than my amateur attempts. The direction, contrast, and exposure of the light sets the tone, whether it’s dreamy and hushed or full of energy and motion. 

Photographers tell a story, drawing our focus with light and shadows to a miniscule detail, scene, action, or expression that helps write a narrative. Photos cause us to reflect on our own experiences, families, and the beauty or terror of nature, events, and people.

The light illuminates the story. This week alone, I’ve listened to and shared countless hard stories. Health, relationships, brokenness, uncertainty. The common thread is weariness, darkness skulking into places that previously held joy.

I keep wondering how to capture the light.

How do we cast a beam of hope? One morning this week, as we sipped our lattes and licked our wounds, my sweet friend sighed something like this: “But there are stories of redemption all around us.” 

And it’s true. This verse keeps breaking through the bleakness:

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5

This Easter weekend, Christians celebrate the most profound contrast of light and darkness the world has ever seen. 

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:9,14

The Light was here in the flesh! 

As Jesus fulfilled His divine purposes of forgiveness and redemption, his suffering and death on the cross brought literal darkness. 

It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. Luke 23:44-46

The mid-day cloak of shadow and silence, fractured by the Savior’s tortured cry, surely signified the end of hope.

But after Friday comes Sunday!

The Light shines in His radiant resurrected glory! And every year at Easter, we cry “Hosanna!” (save us!), praising God the darkness does not win. 

As Christians, we must embrace and tell the narrative of the True Light — to ourselves and to a world that’s aching for a better story.