Walk in the Light Jn 12 34-36

7/29/2019 Walk in the Light Jn 12 34-36

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Last Sunday after Epiphany 21 Jan 2012

Dr Lutz Ackermann (Friedenskirche, Hillbrow)

Walk in the Light

(John 2:34-36)

Good morning, brothers and sisters, dear fellow

congregants.

Do you ever go camping? I love camping. For a long time we

went camping on a regular basis with our children. Recently

it has been a bit less, but it was nice, over Christmas to beable to do some camping, at the KNP and at the Kailager.

One of the most useful things to take with is a headlamp. It

is easy to wear and it helps to make sure that you can see

something at night. Maybe you want to go from your tent to

the ablution block or just quickly to your car but it is dark.

If you are lucky, the full moon might be shining and there

will be no clouds, but what, if not? You dont want to tripover a stone or even worse, step on a snake in the dark. And

it is a torch or a little headlamp like this one, which brings

you safely though the darkness of the campground. Try to

keep that image in mind, as we listen to the biblical text for

this morning:

The crowd answered, "Our Law tells us that the

Messiah will live forever. How, then, can you say that

the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of

Man?" Jesus answered, "The light will be among you a

little longer. Continue on your way while you have the

light, so that the darkness will not come upon you; for

the one who walks in the dark does not know where he

is going. Believe in the light, then, while you have it, so

2013 REV. DR LUTZ ACKERMANN FRIEDENSKIRCHE (CHURCHOF PEACE), HILLBROW


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that you will be the people of the light." After Jesus

said this, he went off and hid himself from them.

(Joh 12:34-36)

{Da antwortete ihm das Volk: Wir haben gehrt im

Gesetz, da Christus ewiglich bleibe; und wie sagst du

denn: "Des Menschen Sohn mu erhht werden"? Wer

ist dieser Menschensohn? Da sprach Jesus zu ihnen:

Es ist das Licht noch eine kleine Zeit bei euch.

Wandelt, dieweil ihr das Licht habt, da euch die

Finsternis nicht berfalle. Wer in der Finsterniswandelt, der wei nicht, wo er hingeht. Glaubet an

das Licht, dieweil ihr es habt, auf da ihr des Lichtes

Kinder seid.}

Do you see how Jesus uses the light as a picture, as an

image for a life with God? By the way, what actually is light?

If you ask a scientist, she will tell you, light is

electromagnetic radiation; or maybe he will speak ofphotons, the particles light is made of. But does that answer

our question: What is light?

Maybe it is better to meditate upon the issue: what is light

good for? What do we need it for? For a moment, imagine a

world without light So, what is light good for?

[get some responses]

- Finding our way (direction)

- Reading (understanding)

- Security (NY blackout 1977)

- Accountability (who would eat the last cookie with

lights on lights off?) 2013 REV. DR LUTZ ACKERMANN FRIEDENSKIRCHE (CHURCHOF PEACE), HILLBROW


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Without light we could not live a normal life. In fact

without the light from the sun we could not live at all

there would not be any higher life forms on this planet

(c.f. Mars). Now that is a statement about natural,physical light. But did Jesus speak about physical light?

The light will be among you a little longer. Did Jesus

expect an eclipse?

Believe in the light Did he speak of believing in the Sun,

maybe?

be the people of the light should Christians always carryaround a touch, or what?

No, it seems to be quite clear, Jesus is talking about light in

a metaphoric way. He uses light to talk about something

else. But what?

[???]

You might say: he is talking about spiritual light (divine

light). OK, but what is that supposed to be? Maybe we

shouldnt try to give abstract definitions. Let us rather listen

to what he is saying about the effects of this light on us. In

the few verses that we read, I can see three main ways how

light affects us.

1) It is light that enables us to see

2) It is light that enables us to trustand

3) It is light that enables us to walk together.

Lets have a look at these one by one.



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1) It is light that enables us to see

Maybe it is easier to start with the opposite, darkness. So inthis Gospel, Jesus says:for the one who walks in the darkdoes notknow where he is going. We have already talked

about how this is so very true in a physical sense. But what,

now, does the metaphor stand for? It could be the

insecurity we feel from time to time, as we have to make

decisions in life. It can sometimes even feel like being

blind to life itself. It could be a sense of confusion orirritation that we experience occasionally in relationships

with other people. It could even be a hardness of heat

that cuts us off from God and from our fellow human

beings. All these we might experience as spiritual

darkness, as walking through life without seeing the way

very well.

What would then the opposite look like? I think, theopposite, spiritual light so to speak would be what makes

us see the way ahead of us: where we can make decisions in

confidence. Where we experience life, the cosmos around

us, not as hostile but as friendly. Or where we gain clarity

about what is important in our lives (and what not so much)

and relationships. And also, where we can see our fellow

human beings with eyes of compassion as brothers andsisters [even weird, strange people]. So, light enables us to

see and spiritual light enables us to see spiritually.

2) It is light that enables us to trust

If someone says to me: Trust me I find it so much easier

to follow this invitation, if I can see the person (darkness,



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phone). Now trust is or should be the basis of our living

together as human beings, as society. A world where no one

can trust anyone else will fall apart (example good vs money

exchange which first). Now, if physical light is good fordeveloping trust, how can spiritual light help us?

Any kind of trust or faith or believing in someone is a

spiritual act. If I look at a person, his looks may lead me to

trust him or her (but: could be deceiving!). But once I get to

know him/her, I look not only at the face (physical) but at

their heart (spiritual). And that is how deeper trust can

develop. And it is even more so with God. We cannot seeGod, physically. So how can we trust, how can we believe in

God at all? Believe in the light says Jesus thats easy.

And finally

3) It is light that enables us to walk together.

Jesus says: "The light will be among you a little longer.

[] you will be the people of the light." So now as we are

talking about the spiritual light, it is not only for you and for

me individually, but for all of us together. Notice that here

Jesus does not speak about the light being in you but

among you. That only works, if we are together. It only

works if there is more than one person, myself. I need a

you to be able to make sense of saying among you, or in

this case among us. And certainly, if we are to be called

people of the light none of us can do that alone.

But how can that happen in a spiritual sense? Maybe the

best answer is given by an old story:



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The rabbi asked his students: "How can we determine

the hour of dawn, when the night ends and the day

begins?"

One of the rabbi's students suggested: "When from adistance you can distinguish between a dog and a

sheep?"

"No," was the answer of the rabbi.

"It is when one can distinguish between a fig tree and a

grapevine?" asked a second student.

"No," the rabbi said.

[green & blue thread]

"Please tell us the answer then," said the students.

"It is then," said the wise teacher, "when you can look

into the face of another human being and you have

enough light in you to recognize your brother or yoursister. Until then it is night, and darkness is still with

us."

I dont know, if we could ever come to an end, if we have to

answer the question What is light, either in the physical

sense or in a spiritual sense. But maybe we should changethe question a bit. Not whatis light but where is light.

It is among you, Jesus says.



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Or even, who is light. And here, of course, we

immediately think another thing Jesus has to say about

light in the fourth gospel, when he says I am the Light of

the world (8:12)It is Jesus who makes us travel safely on our life journey.

It is Jesus who allows us to open ourselves in trust towards

God.

And it is Jesus who makes us brothers and sisters, a people

that can walk in the light.

[prayer]

Amen.


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Walk in the Light Jn 12 34-36