Over the past 7 blogs in a light series we have read a selection of different readings from throughout the bible, both Old Testament and New Testament, each one with the notion of Light as a metaphor to mean something to the readers of that section. I wonder what your opinion of light in the bible is now? Perhaps nothing has changed? Perhaps you have seen something new, maybe something that we haven’t mentioned in our blogs? If you have noticed something new, we would love to hear from you! You can email Ben at ben@stmarybsillingshurst.org
For me, the thing that stands out about Light as a metaphor in the bible is this:
Light is good. We need light to live, as does the rest of our planet. God is referred to as Light quite often in the bible, and this ties in quite nicely. We need God to live.
You might ask why we need God to live, and to that I would answer with my first comment. Light is good. Without God there isn’t any goodness in the world.
Many scholars have said that the meaning of “hell” is a place without God, and place away from His love, and His care. Most people when they think of hell is a place where there is nothing but hatred, and a horrible place to be, full of fire and nasty things. If that is what life would be like without God around, then I for one would strive to live in a world where we have God, wouldn’t you?
So how can we live in the Light? How can we live with God?
There are some very simple things that we can do to have God in our lives. The first thing you can do, if you haven’t before, or even if you have before, but you feel that things have slipped, is to ask God to be in your life. There isn’t anything complicated that you need to do or say. All I would say is find somewhere comfortable, and just say to God (out loud, or in your head) “God, I would like you to be in my life” and that’s it. When he hears you asking, he will respond. This is something that is different for every person, so just wait and see what happens.
Others things you can do are:
* Pray *
If this is something that you don’t know how to do, all you need to do is start talking, aloud or in your head, and tell God whatever you want. Some people find it easier to follow a “Thank, Sorry, Please” pattern. 1. Thank God for whatever you are thankful for. 2. Say sorry to God for the things that you might have done wrong. 3. Ask God for the things you need help with.
* Read the bible *
If this isn’t something that you have done before, or just not a lot, and you don’t know where to begin, I would suggest starting with Mark’s Gospel. This is in the New Testament, and it’s just called Mark. If you don’t have a bible, there is a great app call “YouVersion” which will enable you to read the bible for free on your phone. There is also a website called “Bible Gateway” that does the same thing [www.biblegateway.com]
* Listen to worships songs *
There are plenty of these on all the platforms you might get your music from (Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube etc.) just search for “worship” or you can pick specific bands e.g. Bright City, or Hillsong (there ay many more!)
* Sing worship songs *
A quick google search will help you find the lyrics to any songs that you really like. You can pop the track on on your phone and have a little sing along where ever you are.
* Take a walk, and look around you, look at all that God has made. *
* Try to learn more about the bible *
This could be through blogs, or YouTube, or books, or anything you can find. If you would like some pointers, then feel free to email us (address above).
* Go to Church (once it’s safe to do so) *
There are loads of churches all around the world, so wherever you are you will be able to find one for you. If you live in, or near Billingshurst, we would love to see you are St Mary’s! If you are scared about going on your own, why not try to get a friend to go with you. (Or if you are visiting St Mary’s and can’t find anyone, drop me an email and I can go with you).
I do hope you have enjoyed our Light Series. If there is a particular theme, or topic you would like us to cover then do feel free to email it to us. Remember to stay tuned for all of our next blogs!
God bless you in whatever you have coming up this week.
Prayer
Lord, I thank you that you are light, and you sustain our world. I ask you that you would help me to live in your light every day, and help me to show your light to other people. Amen.