I’m sure many of you have seen or heard this in one form or another: How many Christians does it take to change a light bulb?
Charismatic: 1 – Their hands are already in the air.
Pentecostals: 10 – One to change the bulb, and nine to pray aloud against the spirit of darkness.
Presbyterians: None – Lights will go on and off at predestined times.
Roman Catholics: None – They only use candles.
Baptists: At least 15 – One to change the light bulb, and three committees to approve the change and decide who brings the potato salad and fried chicken to the light changing event.
Episcopalians: 3 – One to call the electrician, one to mix the drinks and one to talk about how much better the old one was.
Methodists: Unknown – Whether your light is bright, dull, or completely out, you are loved. You can be a light bulb, turnip bulb, or tulip bulb. Bring a bulb of your choice to the Sunday lighting service and a covered dish to pass.
Nazarene: 1 – One woman to replace the bulb while five men review church lighting policy.
Amish: What’s a light bulb?
Lutheran: None – Lutherans don’t believe in change.
Wouldn’t it be great if instead of or even in spite of all our divisions we could agree to just “Let There Be Light?”
John 8:12 “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
From Genesis to Revelation light and darkness are common and recurring Biblical topics. In spite of all the advances in technology, light and darkness still divide the day. With the setting of the sun darkness dominates. We may “overcome” the darkness with campfires or oil lamps and candles and torches, with fluorescents and LEDs and plasmas, but there is still darkness. We can’t make it go away. Darkness presents difficulty and danger.
My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. Ps 130:6
Watchmen breathed easier when the light returned, along with everyone else. And it is still true. Darkness is a breeding ground for trouble. Why do you think we still have “night watchmen.” Police and security experts will tell you the best deterrent to crime is LIGHT. The better the light, the less crime. Darkness is an enemy, something feared, something to be overcome.
When the Bible speaks of Light and Darkness, it does so in more than just the literal sense. Darkness is used throughout Scripture to refer to sin and ignorance, while the Light is God’s Word and ultimately that Word made Flesh in Jesus Christ. By His birth and life, His death and resurrection Christ overwhelmed darkness and offered the possibility of light and the life that light brings. This offer is extended to everyone, not just a select few or just one group.
Those who are led by the Spirit to live under His redemptive brightness receive Him, follow Him and reflect His brightness to those who sit in the darkness created by sin and Satan. Their desperate cry and only hope is, “Let there be light!”
More on this tomorrow.
