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David Scudder
DaveBethel at gmail dot com Sr. Pastor of Bethel Chapel Church
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Bethel's Youth Group > Musings from Bethel's young people Kensington Neighorhood House > Our Outreach to Kensington |
Remember back a few days ago when Juniata was ravaged by a violent thunderstorm? It was on a Thursday night. With little warning we were hit with high winds, thunder, lightning, pounding rain, and even some hail. Then the lights went out! My daughter was driving down Aramingo Avenue at the time, and she related how eerie it was to drive block after block with no lights on at all. No street lights, no store lights, and not even any traffic lights. Suddenly the whole area was plunged into darkness.
There are few things as frightening as darkness. In 1925 Floyd Collins experienced the horror of complete darkness. He was exploring Sand Cave in Kentucky. When he was deep in the cave, his lantern went out. He crawled through the darkness until his foot dislodged a seven-ton boulder. The bolder rolled over his leg, trapping him. For several days Collins was stuck in a space 8 inches high and 12 feet long--125 feet below ground. It was pitch black. He couldn’t see a thing.
When they discovered he was missing, they began a rescue attempt that lasted for days. During that time about 50,000 tourists came to watch the rescue effort. They ate hot dogs, and bought balloons from vendors who had come to the area. But the rescuers didn’t get to Floyd Collins in time. He died alone in the cold darkness. Towards the end he was heard crying out, “Get me out. Why don’t you take me out? Kiss me goodbye, I’m going.”
It is awful to imagine what it was like for Floyd Collins to die in physical darkness. There is something worse, though. It is worse to LIVE in spiritual darkness. Spiritual darkness is that feeling that life has trapped you and you can’t see any way out. Problems are usually manageable as long as we feel like we have a plan that might solve the problem. Despair sets in, though, when we have run out of ideas of how to turn on the light. We can see no way to escape our darkness.
There is a way. We don’t have to live in spiritual darkness. Jesus has turned the light on! He said, “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness” (John 12:46). We have an iron-clad promise from Jesus that we can find out how to solve life’s problems: “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life” (John 8:12).
We can experience this light when we turn to and trust in what Christ came to earth to do. Jesus boldly announced, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). If we want to live our lives in light instead of darkness, we must put our gaze on Christ. “For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). Where do we find “the face of Christ”? We will find it in the Bible. The good news of forgiveness and joy, “has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10).
I am so glad that God has turned on a light in me that no storm can blow out. “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). If you feel like life has trapped you in darkness, there is a way out. This invitation from Jesus is for you too: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
There are few things as frightening as darkness. In 1925 Floyd Collins experienced the horror of complete darkness. He was exploring Sand Cave in Kentucky. When he was deep in the cave, his lantern went out. He crawled through the darkness until his foot dislodged a seven-ton boulder. The bolder rolled over his leg, trapping him. For several days Collins was stuck in a space 8 inches high and 12 feet long--125 feet below ground. It was pitch black. He couldn’t see a thing.
When they discovered he was missing, they began a rescue attempt that lasted for days. During that time about 50,000 tourists came to watch the rescue effort. They ate hot dogs, and bought balloons from vendors who had come to the area. But the rescuers didn’t get to Floyd Collins in time. He died alone in the cold darkness. Towards the end he was heard crying out, “Get me out. Why don’t you take me out? Kiss me goodbye, I’m going.”
It is awful to imagine what it was like for Floyd Collins to die in physical darkness. There is something worse, though. It is worse to LIVE in spiritual darkness. Spiritual darkness is that feeling that life has trapped you and you can’t see any way out. Problems are usually manageable as long as we feel like we have a plan that might solve the problem. Despair sets in, though, when we have run out of ideas of how to turn on the light. We can see no way to escape our darkness.
There is a way. We don’t have to live in spiritual darkness. Jesus has turned the light on! He said, “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness” (John 12:46). We have an iron-clad promise from Jesus that we can find out how to solve life’s problems: “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life” (John 8:12).
We can experience this light when we turn to and trust in what Christ came to earth to do. Jesus boldly announced, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). If we want to live our lives in light instead of darkness, we must put our gaze on Christ. “For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). Where do we find “the face of Christ”? We will find it in the Bible. The good news of forgiveness and joy, “has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10).
I am so glad that God has turned on a light in me that no storm can blow out. “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). If you feel like life has trapped you in darkness, there is a way out. This invitation from Jesus is for you too: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
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