There was something fascinating about having your very own torch as a child…many an evening, when I should have been fast asleep, I was under the bedclothes reading my favourite book.
A torch has saved many lives in the darkest of times, and a simple flashlight can be the difference between life and death. It is a crucial part of any emergency kit, offering practical and psychological support….how reassuring do we find a light in a pitch-black night?
Here in Philippians 2:15, Paul reminds us that we are the new covenant people of God, and we have been made into lights who shine forth.
…..that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
In the 1800s, the preacher Dwight L Moody told his congregation a well-known story of a ship attempting to dock in Cleveland Harbour.
The sailors on board could see the lighthouse, but the harbour was surrounded by treacherous rock, and the ship had to navigate through a narrow passage. Typically, along with the lighthouse, there would be a light or lights on the shore. Once both sets of lights were aligned, the pilot knew the ship was on track for a safe passage and could dock.
Today, we think of lighthouses as the beacons that kept ships away from the dangerous rocks and the shoreline. Still, in a harbour, especially in a time before electric lights and modern navigation aids, smaller lights were usually positioned along the harbour entrance or shore to help guide ships in safely.
The more significant light, the lighthouse, was called the upper light, and along the shore were the lower lights. It was pretty standard for these lower lights to be the homes of local residents living on the shore, and often, in a storm, the call would go out for the residents to "light their lights" so that a ship could safely come into the harbour. But on this night, the lower lights were not visible with the consequence that the ship missed the entrance and was sunk, with the loss of life.
The message here was that Jesus is the upper light, and he will never go out, but we are the lower lights and are needed to guide people to Jesus….and we are sometimes in danger of being extinguished; in effect, we can go out.
In the earliest verses of John's Gospel, John, speaking of the coming of Jesus, says, "In him was life, and that life was the light of men."Then, in the later chapters, Jesus is quoted as saying, "I am the light of the world."
We know from reading the gospel accounts of the crucifixion that when Jesus was on the cross, darkness came over the land from noon to about three in the afternoon. Each reference makes the point obvious: Jesus is the light….and equally, the opposite is darkness, spiritual darkness, which means death and damnation.
We hear so much about Jesus being the Light of the World that sometimes we seem to act like the only light the world needs is from the lighthouse – from Jesus and we forget that we are the lights along the shore.
But how do we act as lights, as beacons along the shore? What must we do to reflect the light, the character, of Jesus?
In John 13:34, after Judas has left the supper, Jesus gave the disciples a new commandment:
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another."
You see, the only example of true love was about to be physically taken from the world when Jesus was crucified; Jesus was himself love because Jesus is God, and as 1 John 4:8 tells us, "God is love".
But if Jesus was no longer going to be with the disciples and no longer with the world, then how were people meant to see this love? The answer is that they were to see it in those who are Christ's disciples.
Jesus is being taken; this true and perfect love was about to leave the world, so the disciples must now love as he loved.
It is as if Jesus had said, "I am going; therefore, you must be as I have been in this world."
So how are we to be in this world? Precisely, what is the standard of this love Jesus talks about?
We saw this standard when Jesus was born. This new measure, this new standard of love, was seen in the fact that the God of the universe would take human form, suffer, and die for those who were ungodly so that those who hated God and had tried to turn from him might be redeemed from their sin and brought into God's Kingdom.
John puts it quite clearly when he writes, "This is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" 1 John 4:10
This is the kind of love Jesus teaches us about—not the world's vague, alcohol-fuelled camaraderie, where everyone's your 'best mate' after two drinks, but a higher, more intentional love. It's a love beautifully defined in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, setting a clear and powerful standard for us to follow."
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always perseveres. Love never fails."
This is the kind of love that we see Jesus expressing as he laid down His life for sinners and for us.
This is the love that came in a manger in Bethlehem; this is the love we celebrate at Christmas….and it was a new thing in this world.
How can we see these verses about love from Corinthians more practically?
I mean, let's face it, lots of people, Christian and non-Christian alike, are drawn to these verses; they are very eloquent and grand words, frequently quoted at weddings…but it's almost as if they exist independently as if they don't need to be associated with a person.
Well, earlier, we said that God is love, and Jesus is God, so Jesus is love, and one man said that a good way would be to substitute the word love with Jesus:
"Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind. Jesus does not envy, he does not boast, he is not proud. He is not rude, he is not self-seeking, he is not easily angered, he keeps no record of wrongs. Jesus does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always perseveres. Jesus never fails"
Now, we can start to see the reality of these words. But we can take this one step further: if we are commanded to love as Jesus loved, then it would not be unreasonable to assume we should be able to substitute our name for his.
"I am patient, I am kind. I do not envy, I do not boast, I am not proud. I am not rude, I am not self-seeking, I am not easily angered, I keep no record of wrongs. I do not delight in evil but rejoice with the truth. I always protect, always trust, always persevere. In all these things I never fail"
Oh dear, this is so humbling; now these words don't seem so eloquent and grand because all they seem to do is to reveal our shortcomings.
But Jesus commands his disciples, Christians, to love like he loved, to love to the standard in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
This is not a suggestion from Jesus but an explicit command.
But thankfully, something else comes with this new command to love, a power to make it possible.
Further on, in John 14:16, Jesus says he will ask the Father to send the disciples another helper (ESV) or, in some versions, another counsellor. Here, the word ‘another’ in Greek means another of the same kind: someone like Jesus Himself who will take His place and do His work. The power of the Holy Spirit in every believer makes it possible for us to love to this standard because, without it, we cannot possibly love as Jesus loved. We cannot achieve this standard of love by human power.
To love as Jesus loved, we need the power of Jesus.
Why does Jesus want His disciples to love as He loved?...because this is how people will know we are disciples; it's a mark of a Christian
John 13:35 "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
You see, God has already created the world, Jesus has been born, and Jesus has died and been raised; these are finished works. But what is still going on today is that God is working in Christians through love so that others who do not yet know Him might see Him through such love.
John writes: "No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is made complete in us" 1 John 4:12
…..and through this, others can see God.
The question now must be: Do those who are not yet Christians see Jesus in you?
It's a wild idea, isn't it. But this verse teaches that they can and will if as Christians, we love each other…and of course, we can extend that love to others.
Do you think others will see that standard of love in your family gatherings this Christmas; as you perhaps struggle in the kitchen, can you smile through Aunty Mildred's constructive criticism as you make the stuffing or Aunty Edith's concern that the sprouts should have been put on to simmer at least two hours ago!
Can you maintain a welcome for that somewhat tricky relative? Will they still see your love if you are the only Christian in the family?
Let's not even bring in the in-laws—some conversations just don't need that extra spice! But when the tension rises, when you're teetering on the brink of frustration, stop and ask yourself this:
"Can they see Him now?"
In that moment, through you, will they see Jesus?
So, will you? Will you love other Christians, will you extend that love to others?
Remember, this is not as if Jesus has said something along the lines of "Would you please, please, love others, or do you think you could try?"
This is Jesus' new command. Love one another!
Fortunately for us, God's love for us is greater than our love for Him or our love for anyone else. We must pray that He may strengthen us to pursue love above all else, a love that reflects His love for us so that we can mirror the love of Jesus; please, God grant that we might shine this Christmas.
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