The Morning After the Lunar Eclipse

Scripture:

Luke 11:33   “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar, but on the lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.  34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light; but if it is not healthy, your body is full of darkness.  35 Therefore consider whether the light in you is not darkness.  36 If then your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be as full of light as when a lamp gives you light with its rays.”

Observation:

Jesus had been alone with the disciples where they had asked him to teach them to pray. After that scene we move to a more public scene where Jesus is teaching the people who are wanting a sign. He tells them the only sign they will receive will be that of Jonah. Jesus is the sign, the Messiah who will spend three days in the darkness of death, but will be raised again. He is the light of the world, if only the people will give space for his light to shine.

Really the question becomes, “what will they do with Jesus?” The good news of Jesus is like light which ought to be turned on in all the dark spaces. Unfortunately there are those who are uncomfortable with the light of Christ shining into the dark recesses of their lives. Just like sunglasses can filter out light from our eyes, too many are filtering out the light of Christ so that he doesn’t make them uncomfortable.

Remember the woman with the lost coin? She used all available light to search her house until she could find her lost coin. The light is provided for us to find our way back to Christ. We are to walk in that light, allowing it to shine the path for us, the pathway which leads us into a transformed life. John Wesley says, “Let your eye be singly fixed on him, aim only at pleasing God; and while you do this, your whole soul will be full of wisdom, holiness, and happiness.”

Application:

Last night we stood gazing up into the sky watching the moon grow dark and red. What we were watching was the absence of light as the earth came between the moon and the sun. While the moon may often shine brightly in the night sky, little by little the light disappeared until darkness covered the face of the moon. The appearance was still visible but in an odd form, covered in the darkness of the earth’s shadow. Any light that shone on our street was bright in the darkness of the night.

Pondering the lunar eclipse this morning I am more drawn to the light of the new day that is dawning, than to the darkness of last evening. The sun is just coming up and there will be a lot of activity around our place the next few days but that is nothing compared to the light of Christ which dawns in our own lives. When the light shines, it brightens up our entire lives and leads us, just as Wesley has said, to “wisdom, holiness, and happiness.”

In the beauty of a new morning we use the light to be productive. This is the time for work. The same is true for our spiritual lives. The light opens new opportunities for spiritual growth and development, if only we will walk in that light. Now is not the time to hide in the shadows, but for Christ followers to lift up the light and allow it to shine in and through us. A lunar eclipse is interesting — but the light of Christ changes everything!

Prayer:

Lord, please help me to walk in the light of your day.  Amen.

If you would like to read more "Reflecting the Image"  click on the image to take you to the NPH bookstore.The book is also available in Kindle format on Amazon.com.