Thoughts for the Day

Then Jesus cried aloud: ‘Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness. I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, for I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me.’

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

The recent Artemis 2 flight around the moon was fascinating for many reasons, but one of the most memorable comments came from Christina Koch one of the astronauts. She said:

"The thing that changed for me, looking back at Earth, was that I found myself noticing not only the beauty of Earth, but how much blackness there was around it and how it just made it even more special."

Christina, a seasoned veteran of space travel (over 300 days in space plus a space walk) found the greater distance from the moon to earth, rather than from the earth-orbiting craft she had been on before, helped to emphasise the vast blackness of space around the jewel that is our earth.

Jesus said "I have come as light into the world". Like our jewel of a planet shining out against the darkness, so that the light of the earth intensifies the vast darkness of space, His goodness shows up the darkness of sin in our world and in our own lives. But if at this point we feel like giving into despair, we should take heart from His next comment. Jesus said that despite the fact that we constantly fall into sin we are not condemned out of hand, and that He had come to save us. When we believe in Him we do not remain in total darkness. Yes, there will be a reckoning one day, but in the meantime we are given chances to reflect His light against the darkness of the sin around us. Each good thought and deed reflects Christ's love into our world.

Lord Jesus,
You brought a commandment from the Father
offering us light in a dark world,
together with the promise of eternal life.
When faith is difficult and life is hard,
may we remember this offer of love,
and continually renew our commitment to You.
Help us to reflect Your love into our world
making it a brighter place for others to live,
until You call us home.
Amen.