December 02, 2011

Jesus, the Light of the World

Luke 2:22-35

“My eyes have seen your salvation … a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”
Luke 2:30, 32

— 

The baby who was born in the manger in Bethlehem, the young man who grew up in a carpentry shop in Nazareth, and the man who died on the cross in Jerusalem are one and the same. This is Jesus, the light of the world. Jesus is the sun of justice and the bright morning star. He is the light that illuminates humanity—for humanity, with all its wisdom, is cradled in darkness. But Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Without Jesus, people are still held captive in the empire of darkness. Even though they may be refined by culture and filled with a sense of intense religiosity, they are still held prisoners of deceit. But Jesus came to liberate us from the realm of night. He is the light of the world, and those who follow him do not walk in darkness; rather, their life is like the light of a new dawn that shines brighter and brighter till it breaks forth into a perfect day.

When Jesus, through his Spirit, comes into your life, you are transformed and you receive a new heart, a new mind, a new name, a new family, and a new citizenship. You become a child of the light, you live in the light, and you walk safely and securely toward the light of heaven.

My Lord and my God, you are the true light that can illumine my soul. Please dissipate every cloud that has blurred my vision and has held me in darkness. In your name, Amen.

About the author — Hernandes Lopes

Rev. Hernandes Dias Lopes grew up in a Christian home in Brazil. Following his 1981 graduation from Seminário Presbiteriano do Sul in Campinas, Brazil, he served two congregations of the Presbyterian Church in Brazil. In 2000, he earned a doctor of ministry degree from Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. Rev. Lopes has been the voice of the television program Verdade e Vida (“Truth and Life”) since 2006. In 2010 he was appointed Portuguese ministry leader for Back to God Ministries International. Rev. Lopes and his wife, Tinha, have two college-age children.

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