How would you describe the last few months? I believe the last meeting we had at church was 15th March. How would you describe things since then? Difficult? Testing? Maybe the introverts among us have quite enjoyed the isolation, and when the restrictions are lifted you’ll pretend to be like one of the Japanese soldiers who came out of the jungle in the 1960’s unaware that World War II had ended!
But since the turn of 2020, we’ve seen Covid-19, severe flooding in parts of the UK, fires in Australia, protests about racism, abortion laws becoming more extreme in some countries, divorce laws being changed in our country and, of course, the devastating explosion in Beirut yesterday. I think one of the ways to describe, not only this year, but to describe the world is “darkness”. After the dark, I’m sure all of us hope for light.
And in the Swiss city called Geneva they knew something of these dark moments. In the beginning of the 16th century, Geneva’s motto in Latin was, “Post tenebras spero lucem”. Now, if, like me, your Latin isn’t up to scratch, that means, “After darkness, I hope for light.”
That could be the motto of the world couldn’t it? We look back at 2020 as far and say, “After darkness, I hope for light.” We hope for something, anything, just a flicker of light. Something bright on the horizon. I’m sure that’s what the people in Beirut are hoping for in this very moment.
The world is sitting in the darkness of self-dependence. We are those “people walking in darkness… those living in the land of deep darkness” (Isaiah 9:2).
When the Reformation hit Geneva, everything changed. Which is another way of saying, when the gospel came to Geneva, everything changed. They even changed the city’s motto; they stamped the motto on their coins. They changed it to, “Post tenebras lux”, which means “After darkness light”!
Through the Reformation, through the Gospel, they had found what they had been hoping for. Light, absolute glorious light. That is precisely what happens when the light of the gospel goes out.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep… And God said, ‘Let there be light…” Genesis 1v1-3
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Isaiah 9v2
“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1v4-5
This is our Gospel. This is the power of the Gospel, the light of the Gospel. And when light shines, darkness cannot push back.
And nothing shines brighter in the Gospel than our awesome saviour Jesus.
“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4v6
It is Jesus, and only Jesus, that can bring light, glorious light, to this dark world.
So speak of Jesus to those struggling, wrestling in darkness.
Our world says, “I hope for light”. Because right now the world does feel hopeless doesn’t it? The world is looking for something: it is looking for hope; it is looking for light. And we have a gospel: a gospel that lights up the face of Christ (2 Corinthians 4v6).
It transformed Geneva all those years ago. That same message works today. And we pray the motto for Newtown, for Wales, for Beirut, and for the world will change from “After darkness, I hope for light” to “After darkness light”! That people will say, “I have found what I was hoping for. Now I have hope, now I am not in the darkness, but in the light. Because I have Christ.”
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:4-5
Hymn- The Lord is my Salvation
“I will not fear when darkness falls
His strength will help me scale these walls
I’ll see the dawn of the rising sun
The Lord is my salvation”
Hala says
Thank you Lloyd – we sure need the glorious light of Jesus