The Light of the World

So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” So the soldiers did these things, but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. (John 19:16-27 ESV). I’ve often thought that the darkness of the day Jesus was crucified would be unbearable if it were not for the fact that the resurrection followed! None of us can stand the darkness for very long. The following poem speaks of that truth: It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. And many of us have lit our small candles. But always we were aware of the shadowed corners. When we discovered we could light our candles together, the darkness vanished. Our Father's work is done when we together, with joy, bring our gifts, However small, to be used by those God chooses to bear His light. 1 We do need each other. One candle in the darkness is effective, though still a small thing. Many candles brought together can light a much larger area. In this world we live in, how easy it is to feel like a cold stone tower standing erect in a vast wilderness. Regarding ourselves as a fortress of strength, we often isolate from the outside world, and, sadly, in the process, turn our back on the One who created us. We turn our emotions inward instead of outward. Nothing passes these cold, hard walls for, in essence, we have unknowingly become our own 'god.' We need no one and no one needs us. Or so we think. God gave man a great gift and this is our ability to love. When Jesus made provision for the care of His mother, He provided us with a wonderful example of how to love one another. Perhaps your “candle” will not be nearly so bright as this act, however it may be just as profound. Within each of us are special small gifts. It is not our heavenly Father's intention for us to selfishly horde these talents, but to use them and share them for the betterment of mankind, so that all people may experience love. The smallest gestures often have the greatest affects. Do not hide your love. Reach out to God and others.