Bible Reading
Genesis 1: 1-5
The Beginning
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
Reflection
In our first series of blogs we are going to be looking at the theme of Light throughout the bible. We will explore the mention of light throughout both the Old and New Testaments, and see what the meaning of its use might have been in those passages.
The word Light is used over 200 time in the bible and at various points, to highlight various different things. In our reading for today we are starting at the very beginning, the first 5 verses of the bible, and we don’t have to wait long for the first mention of light. In verse three God simply states “let there be light” and there was. Now we are used to seeing light appear everyday in our lives. You walk into a dark room, and you flick a switch, or perhaps you ask Alexa or Google, or Siri to turn on a light, and there is. But in the beginning it was very different. Have you ever been out at night, in the middle of nowhere and looked around and it’s been pitch black? The beginning would have been a bit like that, accept there would have been no moon or stars reflecting small amounts light back to earth, it was pitch black everywhere!
In a single statement God creates light, arguably the most important aspect of natural life on this planet. Think how powerful that makes God, how important he is. God is in control of, and brought to being the thing that sustains all life. I am sure you have heard scientists mentioning climate control, and the importance of the sun in this. Without the sun, the world would not exist as we know it.
Beyond this, the bible says that before the sun, there was darkness. Now we associate darkness with evil things and unpleasantness. Without God’s command, the world would have been a very unpleasant place to be. I don’t think there is any surprise that the first thing God creates in the creation story is light; for without it, there is nothing.
Prayer
Lord, I thank you for Light. I thank you for the sun, and the important role it plays in sustaining our life here on earth. I thank you there we have the ease here in Britain to flick on a switch and see light appear in our darkness. I pray that you would help me to remember all those who don’t have as easy a life than me. Help me to remember that you are so powerful that you brought light into our world, and you are with us all. Amen.
Sum it up
God brought light into our world, both to sustain life, and to ensure that we are able to live a happy life in that light.
Weekly Challenge
This week, if you see someone struggling in the darkness, how might you be able to help them with some light?
- It could be literal, and you see someone sitting in a dark room, and ask if you can turn the light on for them.
- It could be metaphorical and you see someone struggling, and you help them out and are a light for them, to help them see where to go.