“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 came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. 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 overcome it.” John 1:1-5 

“So this moth goes into a podiatrist’s office. The doctor asks the moth, “What seems to be the problem?” The moth says, “Doc, I don’t know where to start. I feel like my whole life has been a waste of time. I’ve been at the same job for twenty years and I just hate it. I can barely summon the strength to drag myself in every day but I have no choice because I am drawn to it like a moth to, well, you know. The idea of doing this job for another year is hard to accept. I’ve grown apart from my wife. Doc, it just eats me up inside. I feel like my entire life is nothing more than a fragile light bulb hanging from an electrical cord.” The podiatrist says to the moth, “You do seem to have a lot of problems, but I’m just a podiatrist. You need to see a therapist, a psychiatrist even. Why did you come to me?” And the moth says, “The light was on.” (Richard Bonine Jr.)  

We just celebrated the Feast of the Incarnation – the Birth of the Christ Child – the baby born in a manger – and it has gone by too fast, has disappeared too soon, and cost me too much. It just seems like yesterday that we opened the packages, ate the turkey, and in many cases, stayed at home alone. And before we know it, we will soon take down the decorations, and get back to the business of fighting an invisible killer, Covid 19. I wish Christmas and New Years could have been more of a distraction, but it seems we are back into the same routine. Soon we will welcome the Magi – Epiphany is January 6. And, ready or not, in just three months, Jesus will be arrested, tried, and crucified on a cross. In my mind, it all happens too fast, too soon, and is too much. But that is the way it goes in the church year – but it is also how it happens in our lives. It all goes by too fast, is behind us too soon – light a flash of lightening. 

If you haven’t noticed, the Gospel of John is a different animal from the other Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke), the ones we call the Synoptics. Unlike Matthew and Luke, for example, who give us the birth narratives, like good storytellers should, the Gospel of John begins with theology. And that confuses us. We can understand stories with angelic visitations, shepherds, and a baby born in a manger with cows and sheep watching on.  But John gives us, among other words, these gems:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  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 overcome it.  The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.  He was in the world…yet the world did not know him.  But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.”

For most people, Christmas is like a flash of lightening, over in the blink of an eye. These celebrations should be more than a “flash-in-a-pan” moment – they should be the perpetual light that shines, even in the darkest of times. Even if the light of Christ feels as remote as a light across a vast ocean, or as fleeting as a camera flash, it still shines, on Christmas day — AND when we gather in His name, AND when we share that light in the breaking of the bread, AND when we share that light in helping others.

As we begin 2021 it is evident that we need more light in our lives — light that comes through the vaccination for Covid 19 which will bring relief and healing for so many throughout our country, and light that enlightens the darkness of the world. We need to bear the light of Christ to all people we encounter every day. As people of faith, we are called to bear that light no matter what darkness overtakes us. That is not just a challenge, it is a calling. As a follower of Jesus, I truly believe in the “Moth” principle: that as we bear the light of Christ, people will be drawn to that light – the light that is the light of Christ. 

Pastor Dave