Tag: walking in the light

Choosing to walk in the light

Summer solstice.

The 21st of June is the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere, the day with the longest light and least dark. Sunrise today in Glasgow is 4.27am, and sunset 21.40 – giving over 17 hours of light. The light is so glorious, and such a contrast to the 21st of December when in Glasgow there is just 7 hours of daylight. You so notice the difference here in different seasons, and many people have seasonal affective disorder, where the longer hours of darkness disrupt your circadian rhythm and lower serotonin levels, leaving you feeling pretty miserable.

There are all kinds of darkness, not just physical but emotional and spiritual. Sometimes the pressures of life can seem overwhelming, whether family pressures, a stressful workplace or just the woes of the world. We can feel that it is all a bit much- the latest humanitarian disaster, another conflict, more bad news.

In the midst of all this, I believe that God invites us to choose to walk in the light. We can dwell on the negative, endlessly scroll on our phone, and be full of self pity at the things that haven’t worked out. Or we can ask God to help us see things differently.

In first John chapter one, we are exhorted to ‘walk in the light of God’ v7. But how do we do that? Our circumstances haven’t changed, so how do we look to the light, when we are surrounded by grey and shade?

There are all kind of answers, but one strand might be to ask God to help us focus on His character and what He is doing. The bible tells us that God is forgiving and good, true and merciful, loving and just, and that in Christ He ultimately invites us all to dwell forever in His forgiving and abundant love. This alone brings us hope and purpose, if our calling is to know that incredible love and to share it with those around.

Meantime however we live in this human world with its pain and suffering, It can be tough to cope each day with disappointment or ill health or distressing memories. In Jesus’ teaching though he asks us to cast our cares on Him, not to worry, to trust and to hope. He says he will give us strength for each day, that he will heal our wounds and lift up our heads.

Jesus’ life on earth, as seen in the gospels,  was characterised by teaching, healing, challenging, sharing meals and joy. However he also faced opposition, rejection, violence and betrayal. And this means he understands our most difficult of human experiences, and shows solidarity with us. He comes alongside us and through the cross, brings understanding and hope, possibilities of healing, forgiveness and grace. He sends His Holy Spirit to minister to us.

The amazing fact that the Almighty God of all the universe, can humble himself to come alongside us in our human struggles and weaknesses lifts our spirits. We are not alone, we are seen and we are loved. Jesus walks with us, and His presence dispels the darkness, and brings us hope. May we always choose to look to Him, so we can walk in the light of His love.

Father God- we have to be honest- the world can be a dark place of heartbreak and sorrow and injustice. We lament all that is broken and shattered by poverty, violence and greed. Lord Jesus Christ, you experienced the most hateful and vile side of human nature, yet You choose to love. Teach us how to live in your love, to forgive, to persevere, to hope, to trust. Even when all seems lost, may we invite Your Holy Spirit to come, to take from us that critical and negative spirit, and instead help us to see the possibilities for good. Lift us from the dark slough of despond, bring us back onto the path, give us courage, and help us choose to walk in Your light. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

‘ the banality of evil’

Eating the apple- it looked delicious!

Recently I watched the 2012 film ‘ Hannah Arendt’. It was a film about the political theorist covering the 1962 war crimes trial of Adolf Eichman, and one of the phrases she uses as she watches the trial is ‘ the banality of evil’. She is asking questions about who is responsible when things go wrong, and bureaucrats argue that they were just following orders.

It reminded me of a deeply troubling book I read many years ago ‘ people of the lie’ by Scott Peck. He spoke of case studies he had been involved in, where all the family members seemed ‘ nice’ on the outside, but at times had deeply damaged others by verbal manipulations and a basic denial of their humanity. It could be subtle, but people often lied, consciously or unconsciously, and this could cause devastating harm to others

It made me think about how trauma and harm can be not just big dramatic events, but a hundred small things. Things that can seem petty, but have a cumulative effect. When I listened to Colin talking about his days in the military, the damage was not just from the horrendous acts of violence, but also from small seemingly insignificant details, that became deeply symbolic of the emotional cost of what took place.

For Eve in the garden of Eden, we are told that she had complete freedom to do anything, except eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And the serpent knew how to tempt her, to distort what God said, and she saw the apple looked delicious. What could be the harm? Just a complete breakdown of trust.

We are all rebellious, we all make mistakes, and the logical consequence of this, is that we all contribute to the darkness in the land. Everytime we verbally put some one down, we don’t challenge injustice, we collude with untruths, we are part of the problem.

Sometimes when we look at conflict and war in the world, we think it doesn’t affect us, as it is geographically far away. Yet the interconnectedness of international relations, means that there is usually an element of responsibility somewhere, in terms of our history, influence, selling of weapons and financial interests. We often turn away from any responsibility to get involved, and that has consequences.

I don’t want to make you feel down, but maybe we all need to reflect on our own contribution to misunderstanding, conflict and institutional evil. We need to discern when to speak out, to challenge the corporate giant, the corrupt government, to be willing to pray, to lobby, to speak. We have a responsibility to do so. Even if one situation was influenced to do something better, that would be so worthwhile.

Let us pray, and choose to act.

Dear God, You are Good and Holy, and we are so rebellious and selfish, often choosing to protect ourselves, at the cost of others, choosing to be blind to the consequences. Lord Jesus, forgive our pride and lies and self interest, in our relationships, whether intimate or international. Open our eyes to your truth, and give us courage to act. Holy spirit, keep us from temptation, help us not to compromise with the ways of the world,and help us speak out for Your kingdom values. May we not collude with evil, but choose to always walk in the light, for Your glory’s sake, Amen.