From Darkness to Light
One of the surest signs that spring is on its way is when the days switch from the darkness outpacing the daylight, to the two being equal, and then the ratio switching in favor of the light. Living in northern Minnesota for most of my life, this springtime change has always been a welcome relief from our cold, dark winters, improving not only our physical states (as we drink in that vital vitamin D), but also our emotional states. And this change is a picture of what Christ has done to my spiritual state, too.
In John 8, Jesus declares to those gathered around Him, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” This is a promise that reverses the curse of spiritual darkness that covers the whole world. This darkness descended on the world in Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve rejected God’s instructions about not eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because the result would be death (Genesis 2:17). Adam and Eve’s belief of Satan’s tempting lies rather than God’s true commandment plunged humanity into the depths of darkness. We all now face both literal and spiritual death and separation from God, the Maker and Source of all light (Genesis 1:3). But even in that tragic moment in Eden, God’s first response is to promise a Deliverer (Genesis 3:15), one who would one day crush Satan and defeat sin.
God’s promise comes again in the prophecy of Isaiah 9:2: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.” When Jesus arrives 700 years later and makes his proclamation in John 8, He is declaring that He is this light Isaiah foretold. Jesus declares Himself to be the Savior and Redeemer of Genesis 3:15 and the One who will save those who walk in the deep darkness of human depravity. He is the One who brings light and life to those who believe in Him. Through His perfect obedience to the Father’s will by dying on the cross and through His resurrection, Jesus fully paid for us the death penalty for sin that God required. His sacrificial death fulfilled God’s plan for humanity’s redemption, and his resurrection is the guarantee that one day, he will “disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadows put to flight.”
This truth is the reason that Echo Ranch Bible camp exists. And this year, as all our full-time camp staff have now moved out to camp and are in the midst of gearing up for the next season of ministry, I was struck by the physical reminder of the longer days we now have and what that implies for us as a spiritual reminder. The hundreds of retreaters, campers, and volunteers who will come out to Echo Ranch this year don’t merely need a pleasant camp experience; they all desperately need to be pointed to the truth and hope about the light and life offered in Christ. This hope is why we are here. This is why the staff works so hard - diligently cleaning bathrooms, cooking all day in the kitchen, and tackling the never-ending list of maintenance needs and vehicle repairs. All these tasks are done so that those who come in contact with Echo Ranch will through us come in contact with the Light of the World. Because people’s eternal lives are at stake. Because the Gospel matters. And because God’s glory proclaimed matters.
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 cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)