This is the second in a series of reflections on John 1.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light. – John 1:5 (CEB)
Can there be life without light? The Word brings forth a light and life that cannot be extinguished by darkness. God made this theological truth true in nature as well. If you light a candle in a dark room, the darkness is chased away. The darkness never overcomes the light. We might not be able to see the light. In a dense fog, light seems to be darkened – but it is never extinguished. It’s always there; we just need to draw closer to see it.
Have you ever thought about how powerful light is?
The Earth’s surface curves out of sight at a distance of 3.1 miles, or 5 kilometers. But our visual acuity extends far beyond the horizon. If Earth were flat, or if you were standing atop a mountain surveying a larger-than-usual patch of the planet, you could perceive bright lights hundreds of miles distant. On a dark night, you could even see a candle flame flickering up to 30 mi. (48 km) away.[1]
Darkness itself cannot extinguish light. We may be able to blow out a candle, the batteries may run down in a flashlight, or a storm may knock out our power leaving our house dark. But this is not the true Light. This Light is the Life and the Word…and the Word was God.
Where is the Light bringing Life to you this Christmas season?
[1] Natalie Wolchover, How Far Can the Human Eye See?, May 7, 2012, http://www.livescience.com/33895-human-eye.html (accessed January 3, 2014).
