I was preaching at a local church recently, and I was reminded of the extreme contrast and comparison of light and darkness. I also remembered when I finally was old enough to stay at home by myself and have the run of the roost for a few hours. One thing I would do when walking around in the dark was to yell out to the darkness, "If anyone is there, I've called the cops already."
Can you tell I was the baby of the family and watched too much television?
This also reminded me of what the holy scriptures say about Jesus being the light of the world. John 9: 5 says, "But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world."
The Gospel of Matthew 5:14–15 also says, "You are the light of the world-like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house."
In the First Nations Version of the New Testament, which is a paraphrased Indigenous version of the New Testament, the name Jesus is also referred to as "Creator Sets Free." So, in light of this, Jesus sets us free from the sinful nature we're all born with. Then He continues to set us free from the ongoing effects of sin and darkness in the world that affect us all.
This darkness is seen in the realm of sin, but it's also seen in the depression, anxiety, grief, and loss we all experience at different levels of intensity. When I was a child, I had feelings of fear in the darkness of the empty house at night. Yet, that also pointed to all the feelings and emotions stirring in my sub-conscious mind and heart-feelings and experiences that occurred in the first few years of my life.
I was moved around 12 different times before I ended up at the Stelter's home, where I stayed until I was 17. Before I ended up at the Stelter's, I was immediately thrust into the foster care system when my biological mother went into the psychiatric hospital for post-partum depression. This was also the case for my older sister and brother. My biological mother had seven children, but never raised any of them for any extended periods of time, and we were never all raised together.
Jesus being the light of the world and having Jesus in my life has reminded me time and time again that I don't have to walk in darkness. I don't have to be defined by my past. I don't have to be drowned in fear, sorrow, and heartbreak. I don't have to yell out to the enemies in my heart and mind and walk in fear. I can walk around shining as brightly as Jesus intended me to. His light heals any brokenness I may have experienced at any time in my life.
One of the writers of the Old Testament in Psalm 119 says in verse 105, "Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path." Even before Creator Sets Free arrived in bodily form in the New Testament, the people of the Old Testament saw the benefits of following the LORD God. They saw the benefits of God being the Word of God, God's Spirit giving us direction as we walk through our lives.
Then we find out in the Gospel of John 1 that Creator Sets Free was and is the Word of God. So this same Jesus sets us free from our broken hearts. He sets us free from the past. He puts light into our lives because He is light itself.
That's the kind of encouragement I need to move forward. I pray the same for you, my friends. I pray this over you all physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally, in Jesus Almighty name. Amen.
Dr. Parry Stelter is originally from Alexander First Nations which is part of Treaty Six Territory. He's an Author, Speaker, Writer, Scholar, Workshop Facilitator, Blanket Exercise Facilitator, Chaplain, and ambassador of the Gospel. He's also an ambassador of his fellow Indigenous People. Visit his website at https://www.wordofhopeministries.ca
