In the beginning... (Shine, Part 1)

I was thinking and praying about just where abouts I could start this series as there is so much in the bible on light and then I thought, where better to start than in the beginning?? - In more than one sense of the word.

In my first blog to this address (22nd June, 2010) I did what many people do and explain why they have decided to start up a blog. And with this also why they have named it as it is. The latter I explained only briefly but did not go into a lot. An excerpt from that blog 'Beginning'...

It comes from a passage in the Bible, something I have been challenged about recently and which I will probably elaborate on in a later post, but for now.. Matthew 5: 14-16

'You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.'

We are each but a single flame yet so much light can come from us. I guess my hope for this blog is that it can be a testimony to my light. Whether I talk of myself or other things happening, that God may be using me and shining through me so that my ray of light is one that stands out amongst others, one worth following.

Is it not a wonderful passage?!?

Now for looking more at just how that imagery of Light is used in the Bible that we might be able to understand it more... lets start in the beginning!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. -John 1:1-5

Now this passage may take a little bit to explain, just giving you a heads up. I mean at the surface some of what it is saying just doesn't make sense - let's take the first sentence, the Word was with God, and was God. Isn't it one or the other? And what is the Word - how can a word be those things? And in the last sentence - how can darkness comprehend anything? But once there is a light it is no longer dark - of what is this speaking? It's all a bit of a riddle really, isn't it?

Well, let's try to make a little sense of this passage then. It starts In the beginning... so let's go back and see what's in the beginning.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was wtihout form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face fo the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.   -Genesis 1:1-3

In other parts of the Bible, or through many different parts of the Bible we find that there is three in one with God. There is only one God but within Him there is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. Sound complicated? It is. And it's something which you can never convince someone of - it always takes a measure of faith. It sounds too unbelievable to be able to convince anyone of it. Here, in this very first passage of the Bible, we see that the three persons of God are here - when we read it with John 1. God the Father is there - God the Spirit is there - And God the Son is there as the Word.

If we can understand this, then suddenly the first three sentences of John make sense. Those statements are no longer contradictory but supportive of one another. The first thing which is created which gives life to the world is light. Light is the leader and divider which gives life. It is to this imagery that the rest is set also.

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

We know now how this is speaking of Jesus, the Son of God, who was there from the beginning, even though he came here only just over 2000 years ago. Trippy, or what? We can see how this passage is linked with Genesis to help explain things but what is it really saying about Jesus? It is saying that He is life. He is our light. And we did not comprehend who He was (we are the darkness, or rather the world is the darkness). So if we want to get away from the darkness of the world, the death that it offers, the only way to find such light, and life, is in and through Jesus - for only He can shine bright enough to overcome.

Kind of random, kind of not - what is your favourite source of light in this world??

Coming up: Shine, Part 2

God Bless