Daylight Savings Time (And other bright ideas)

John 3:14-21

[Jesus said,] “…those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”  John 3:21

Being a “night person” I’ve always liked the idea of daylight savings time.  Shifting the lengthening sunlight from the morning hours (when I’d rather be sleeping) to the evening (when I am much more awake) works for me.  Though “daylight savings time” as we know it didn’t officially start until Germany enacted it in 1916, the idea of shifting the clocks to correspond more closely to the solar day has been around at least since Roman times.  The idea was to save energy and reduce the need for artificial light.  Because humans are mostly diurnal, we tend to get more done with the lights on. 

Light and darkness have been used as metaphors for good and evil probably since the dawn of time.  The Gospel of John is no exception.  In this week’s text, John’s Jesus uses darkness and light to refer to how people respond to the love of God reflected in and through the Son.  Like light and darkness divide the day and night, so belief and unbelief separate those who live in the light of God’s love and those who do not.   The light of God’s love is a constant, it’s what we do with it and how we experience it that varies.  Our belief does not save us, God does, but if we chose to stay in the dark God’s healing light won’t have much of an impact on our lives.  It’s not our decision that saves us, God does, but to live in the light of that gracious Gift is what God intends for us.  As Ephesians says, “For we are what God has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”  (2:10) Luther’s Small Catechism puts it this way, “I believe that by my own understanding or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him, but instead the Holy Spirit has called me through the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, made me holy and kept me in the true faith…”  (Apostles’ Creed, Article 3).

The cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ is like God’s “daylight savings plan.”   The life, death and resurrection of the Christ adjusts the light so that we can do what God created us to do and to be in a world so often shrouded by the darkness of sin, evil and death.  The question each of us must answer is not “what must I do to be saved?” but “what do I do now that I am?”   Or…  “How do I live now that the lights are on?”

Jesus answers that question too.  In the light of God’s great love for us and for the whole world, he teaches us to reflect that love for one another, for our neighbors and for the whole world.  In service and witness, in lives of gratitude and praise, in acts of forgiveness, mercy and compassion, we radiate with the light that shines in the darkness.  In us, and in our deeds, as Jesus says, God’s light is seen more clearly, and God’s love is known more fully.  Because, after all, we get more work done with the lights on!

Peace,

Bishop Mike

Thanks, as always, for reading!  (Don’t forget to “spring forward” on Saturday night…)