Jesus spoke to the people again, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me won’t walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
Someone just told me about a friend who starts their prayers with, “Hi, Jesus,” as if Jesus is standing right behind them. I love this sense of being with Jesus in prayer. A relationship with Jesus that is close and immediate.
But we don’t all feel that. Jesus offers us light to walk in, and sometimes we feel like our days are very, very dark. Are we lacking in faith? Did we miss a lesson at church on seeing the light?
Through John 7, we read how people wanted Jesus to go to Jerusalem and proclaim himself publicly. He said it wasn’t his time, but he eventually went quietly. Then he blows his cover because he starts teaching, even in the Temple. People came and listened, and leaders wanted to capture him, but soldiers said, have you listened to what he is saying? “No one has ever spoken the way he has.” (John 7:46)
Some people in this chapter are walking in light, or looking for light, and some are in darkness. People are arguing over who Jesus is and what Jesus is teaching.
Just like us today.
Some of us are feeling and seeing the light, and some of us are struggling.
We are each on a journey with Jesus. Sometimes our journey crosses the path of someone else, and we want to walk down that road. But just as John 7 can be confusing, and we don’t understand all the Jesus is doing, we need to trust that the path Jesus gives us is the path we need to walk in the light.
How do we know if we are on the right path?
Jesus offers a “peace that passes all understanding” in Philippians 4:7. Do you feel peace? Perhaps when Jesus is talking about walking in light, the light comes with peace and the gift of the Spirit – joy, gentleness, peace, love. (Galatians 5:22-26) If we are feeling short on the fruit of the Spirit, especially peace, maybe we aren’t walking in sync with Jesus. Maybe we aren’t looking for Jesus because we are distracted, or sticking with Jesus while we wander around in our darkness.
I had a time in my life when Jesus had called me to a certain task, but I ignored the call – for eleven years! I was unsettled in my life, and I had a hard time finding a job that fulfilled me, or that would even hire me. Once I turned to God’s call, or path, my son said that I was “easier to live with now that I was doing what God wanted me to do.”
If everything is off-kilter, are we on the right path? Are we in the light? Is this a signal that we need to change?
Each of our paths are different, and each of us will have our own relationship with Jesus. If you feel darkness, or feel lost, maybe you need to work with another believer to discern where Jesus wants to walk with you. Jesus gave us the gift of the Church so we don’t have to walk alone. Just like the people of John 7, let’s keep working to find the light of Jesus together.
Pastor Anna-Lisa Hunter
July 3, 2024
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