Light and Harmony

Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
August 2, 2023
1 John 1:5-7

This evening I will be participating in a quartet at a dinner event and am very excited to get together with my singing partners from Lanesville United Methodist Church. We sort of came together by accident when several years ago we started singing together during worship services. From there, one of our members asked if we could sing during the holidays at a nursing home and well, it sort of took off from there. Funny, how the Lord expands your service opportunities if you will just take the first step, or in my case, sing the first note .

I am relatively sure that one of the songs will be singing is “I Saw the Light”. It always seems to go over well and most people seem to know at least the chorus. With this said, I am encouraged to reflect on these words in 1 John 1:5-7; “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But, if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin”. The “darkness” of which John speaks is explained in chapter 2 and verses 9-11. In these verses, “darkness” is hating a fellow Christian and “Light” is loving them. Hate is a very strong word. I have often heard it said; “Love the sinner, hate the sin”, but I’ve also heard “Love the sinner, hate your own sin”. Ouch! That gets pretty close, doesn’t it? It seems to me that if I spend a bit more time evaluating my life and motives, I will spend less time criticizing others and even spreading hate through my words and behaviors. It can be difficult to see ourselves clearly sometimes, but taking time daily to sit with the Lord in his word, prayer and meditation, is a tried and true way of walking in the Light.

My singing partners and I don’t see eye to eye on everything, but we do agree on the main thing; Jesus is the Light of the world. I am looking forward to walking in the Light with the quartet this evening, and with all of you who are fellow sojourners on this walk of faith.

“Praise the Lord, I saw the light”!
Amen.