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11th May 2026
MondayReflection
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By diviadmin
Rev Dr Steve Griffiths
Steve has a passion for children's and youth
ministry
"The light of God"
.... 1 John 1:1-7
I really do struggle with the dark nights coming in so early during Winter days.
Are you like that too?
There's something about light mornings and light evenings that really lifts the spirit, isn't there?
Light is such an important commodity for us.
And, of course, many religions in our country and throughout history have the idea of 'light' as a central metaphor in explaining spirituality.
In Hinduism, there is the celebration of Diwali, the Festival of Lights, which commemorates the victory of light over darkness, good over evil.
In Judaism, candles are lit on a Friday night to mark the beginning of the Sabbath, and the Jewish Festival of Light is Hannukah, that lasts 8 days.
In Islam, there is reference to the Arabic word 'nur', which means the light of God.
And, of course, in Christianity, light is a central metaphor that we use: Jesus being the light of the world, the distinction between light and darkness in spirituality, and the many, many uses of candles in our acts of worship.
And in the first reading, from John's letter, we heard these words:
"Now the message that we have heard from his Son and announce is this: God is light, and there is no darkness at all in him ... if we live in the light - just as he is in the light - then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from every sin."
For John, the idea that God is light and that Jesus is the light of the world is fundamental to his Christian understanding.
There's two ideas I want to draw out ...
So Light is a very positive concept: it provides optimism and good feelings: whether that's in a religious sense or just enjoying warm weather and long days or leaving a light on for the kids at night so they can sleep better, or whatever ...
Light is good news for our spirits and cheers us up no end.
And so, when John refers to God as the light, there is a real sense of optimism and good news about that: there is a positive value to light.
Why is light so important for us?
Well, primarily because it helps us to reach what we need.
There is a certain threat in the darkness. There can be danger in the darkness.
We can trip over in the dark or fail to get where we need to be.
There are times in our lives when it just feels like we are shrouded in deep darkness.
There are times in our lives when we cry out for light to dispel the darkness.
The darkness does not last for ever.
When God is the light in our world, we can be led safely through our days and head with confidence and optimism to our destination, which is to live life in all its fullness with him.
It may not feel like it right now for some of us, but that is the promise of the Christian faith and the experience of so many of us.
If we draw near to God, who is the light, then he can shine his light into the darkness which we often encounter in life.
The darkness that we encounter can be overcome by the light of God shining in our lives and that is good news, and gives us reason to be hopeful.
Light is the promise of hope and joy and in God there is no darkness at all.
><(((°>
This is an edited version.
The full article is avaiable on request
"Rev Dr Steve Griffiths"
Steve has a passion for children's and youth ministry.
He has been involved in training youth workers across the world since 1999,
most extensively in the UK, Scandinavia, India, South Africa, the US, Central Europe and mainland Europe.
As well as authoring many popular and academic articles on youth ministry,
historical theology, and pastoral theology, Steve is the author of a number of books including:
Discipling Generation Y: Themes from the Book of Revelation, Models for Youth Ministry,
God of the Valley, Redeem the Time: Sin in the Writings of John Owen, and East End Youth Ministry 1880-1957.
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