A Thousand Points of Light
A Thousand Points of Light, or One?
Isaiah 49:1-6
January 17, 1999
A few years ago President George Bush spoke in his campaign about a “thousand points of light.” He was referring to all of the positive things we can do to make this a better world. But the best world comes by way of a different kind of light, a universal light. Epiphany is a season which is meant to celebrate that light the apostle John speaks of saying, “The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world” (Jn 1:9). He was referring, of course, to the Christ of God, Jesus. Christ then tells his followers that they are the “light of the world” (Mt 5:14). So from the one point of universal light springs many thousands of points of light as believers live out their lives in the light of Jesus Christ.
Our meditation today will focus first of all on the light that springs forth from the three persons of the Godhead, Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Secondly we will consider the light produced by the Trinity—Israel; the Church; and the individual believer.
1. The Trinity: Christians have always confessed the Trinitarian God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The three ecumenical Creeds are scriptural statements of this revealed God; He is Creator, Savior, and Sanctifier.
The Father—Creation: If we look at the creation as written in Genesis, we find that before anything was, God existed. He is eternal; without beginning, and without end. We also learn that when He creates the heavens and the earth the world is nothing but darkness in the midst of a formless void (Gen 1). In other words, out of nothing, God creates.
And then God said, “Let there be light.” This light is not the light of the sun or moon or stars. They come on the forth day of creation. This light God sets apart from the darkness, so that everything in that light is revealed for what it is. It is the Light that leads to the perfect life in Eden.
The language used by the prophet Is 42:5 is telling: “This is what the Lord says—he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it.” Of special note are the verbs and what they do: “created, stretched out, spread forth, gives breath.” These verbs are all causative in nature. God causes things to be what they are even from what they are not. This is all First article theology coming from the universal Light.
This is the God whom we confess as Christians. There is no other. Yet, many are those who bow to the suppositions and theories of evolutionary science. My friends, we are talking about the first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me.” Now, I’m not saying that science is bad. I am saying that science is no more able to prove origins than we who believe in God the creator of all things. It is good to know also that nothing is scientific fact unless it can be proven and repeated. And this is exactly what the universal light does. He continues to spread his universal light in the darkness.
The Son—Salvation: The apostle John bears witness to this in the first chapter of his gospel where Jesus is called the “light [which] shines in the darkness” (v 5) and the light that gives light to every man” (v 9). How sad that it also says, “the darkness has not understood it.”
In Jn 8:12” Jesus makes this bold assertion about himself: “I am the light of the world.” By today’s standards Jesus would not be very popular. In our politically correct culture it is not popular to make exclusive statements. Yet Jesus is saying here in no uncertain terms that he is the light of the world, not one of many.
The prophet Isaiah in 49:6 makes it clear that the Servant of God is the light, and the Servant is Christ. “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” The universal light continues to shine in this darkened world in which we live. And that light is confessed in the second article of the Creeds. But the proof is really in the pudding, so-to-speak. Unless that light is somehow conveyed to our own humanity, we all still must dwell in darkness. And that gets us to the third article.
The Holy Spirit—Sanctifier, Comforter, and Teacher: It is the work of the Holy Spirit that brings us to faith and holiness so that we are enabled to pray, “our Father who art in heaven.” It is the Holy Spirit who comforts us with the good news that our sins are forgiven by the causative work of the servant, Jesus Christ, in His life, death, and resurrection. It is the Holy Spirit who brings knowledge of the universal light of God right into our own lives, and that by the very promise of God, himself.
But the Holy Spirit is not some creature or force to be followed.. The Holy Spirit is also from the beginning. He also participated in creation according to (Gen 1:2-3) which says, “and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” That is how God dispels the darkness. He sends His Spirit into our hearts to bring the light of salvation home personally to us.
The Spirit’s role, then, is convincing the nations, all peoples of the world, that the Servant of God is none other than the Christ (Jn 14:15-21; Jn 1:16). And when the Spirit enlightens hearts and minds it is just as John says, “From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.” And then our spirit rejoice that we are also called sons of the most high God.
2. A second trinity of universal light—Israel, the church, the believer:
Israel: The nation appointed by God through the covenant with Abraham—to be a light to the nations. They were to bring the good news of salvation to all. And it is from them that the Anointed Messianic Servant would come.
The voice of the prophets is given to reveal the Light. As such, we may consider the many points of light God has given to the world; Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, John, Paul, and countless others who bear the good news into the world. And this is where we come into the picture.
The Christian Church is the new Israel of God. Luke, in the book of Acts 2:38-42 makes this reality known. The promise of God is carried forth in baptism so the light is carried forth in believers.
Those who believe are also called the bride of Christ (Eph 5:21-33). This is so important because of what Christ does. Listen to this: “Christ … gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word.” Scripture goes on to say why God does this: “to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”
Isn’t it rather amazing that the apostolic witness, Paul, was blinded by the light of Christ’s radiant glory in order that he might see the true light and carry it on to us in his written message? Indeed, it is amazing and truly comforting to those who have ears to hear and eyes to see the truth.
This is what the Christian life is all about: Sure, there are numerous examples of great lights in the history of the church. The early church fathers who defended the faith against all kinds of heresy. From their work comes our Creeds. And, now, today, there is you and me.
Jesus tells those who believe in him, “You are the light of the world.” By the Christian Creed, you who believe and confess the Trinitarian God revealed in Scripture as Lord and Savior are the communion of Saints. The universal light continues to be passed on so that today we are light to a sin-dark world (Mt 5:14). Thus, we are “many points of light.”
In the Epiphany season, Christ is revealed to the world. Isaiah makes no mistake when he calls him the “light of the nations.” This Jesus, gentle and filled with love and grace, is the very nature of light, and he has chosen to live in us. Perhaps the best way to conclude our meditation is through a story.
In the Middle Ages, people would gather at the beautiful stained glass to look at the various scenes taken from the Bible and great saints of the church. Many people were illiterate and depended on the pictures to tell the stories. One little boy recently asked his father on a vacation trip to Italy while they were looking at the beautiful and breathtaking scenes, “Dad, what’s a saint?” After thinking for a moment and staring up at the stained glass, the father smiled and looked at his son and said, “A saint is someone whom the light shines through.” Dear friends, called by God to be saints, may his light always shine through us. Amen.