December 20, When God Shows Up “Jesus is the light of the world” by B. Poston

Romans 7:18-19
For I know that the good does not dwell within me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do the good lies close at hand, but not the ability. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.

Theme:
In Bible study this year, we are asking the question who is Jesus as defined in the New Testament gospels. We find Matthew, Mark and Luke, who share many of the same stories and even some of the same texts, write to different cultural audiences and accentuate a story of Jesus that speaks to their traditions. Each
writer helps shape our personal understanding of who Jesus is.

Illustration:
In Genesis 1:2-3 we read, “the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.”
In Genesis’ creation story, we find the Triune God present. We see God creator, the wind/breath of the Holy Spirit and the light/Word of Jesus. Through this Trinity, God breathes existence into creation speaking His word and lighting his world. When we read the first 18 verses of John’s gospel, we read the creation story again as John helps us see Jesus: Word, Life, Light.
In John 1:4-5, we read “What has come into being in him was life and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.”
What does this light of Jesus help us see? We can clearly see our path as illuminated by the light. When the light shines into the darkness, we can see the places to avoid. The light serves as a metaphor of guidance, compassion, truth, love and wisdom.
The gospels are like photographs, capturing the light reflected by Jesus into the image we see created by each writer. In Mark, we are struck by the immediacy of the story. He skips past the Christmas story to start with John the Baptist who baptizes Jesus. Then Jesus heads to the wilderness, selects his disciples and begins preaching, healing and exorcising in just his first chapter. Matthew connects Jesus to his Jewishness,
comparing him to Moses, intensifying the demands of the law and sharing five sermons like Moses’ five books of Torah. Luke gives us the Christmas songs, the parables of the Good Samaritan and Prodigal Sons and Jesus’s sharing the Holy Spirit with his followers who serve as the church taking his story to the Gentiles and out into the world. In John, we celebrate the divinity of Jesus with the gospel’s “I am” statements and signs.
All gospels focus our attention on Jesus’ ultimate teaching, his resurrection. Teaching on the road to
Emmaus, his loving appearance to Mary and his call to Peter to feed his sheep, the resurrected Jesus
enlightens and inspires his followers to see him in a new light and carry that light into the world.

Takeaway:
Jesus be my guide, And hold me to your side. I will love you to the end.

Prayer:
Jesus, thank you for the many ways you help me to understand how I am to live in the world. Thank you for lighting a path and being a model for us to mature in our love as we make our way through the dark paths of our world. Help us to be in community as your church as we work to bring heaven to earth. AMEN