Light Year’s Anew for Me and You

It is hard to believe that this is my final article of 2015. I have had the privilege of coming to you via the Herald since the summer of 1997. Those days seem almost like another lifetime ago. 
My daughter Leah who was in the fourth grade at Elementary School No. 2 in Middle Township when we moved here is getting married Jan. 1. How many of you can say that you visited The Lighthouse Church when we used that very building until we moved into our own facility in 2009?
My son Rudy who ministers in Johnstown, Pa. with his wife Lindsey have blessed Terri and me with two grandsons already and a granddaughter is on her way come early February.
My daughter Abigail has become quite the music aficionado and has recently added the mandolin to her instrument repertoire and my youngest son Joel who is already in the seventh grade seems to excel in whatever sport he plays.
And as the days go by, I can honestly say that I am more grateful than ever just to simply be alive and still in love with my wife and experiencing an ever-growing faith with my Lord and a deeper commitment than ever to my flock.
One of my favorite songs from 2015 was sung by Third Day and its chorus included the lyrics, “Lord, I want to be a soul on fire.” Even though my physical body may show the signs of tarnish and age, I have petitioned the Lord to keep fanning into flames the bonfire of my heart.
Jesus said to us believers, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)
These were my dear Dad’s favorite Scripture verses.
We can’t waste a moment when each day should be seized with passion and vigor. If the Lord loves us enough to fill us with the fuel that comprises the oil of the Holy Spirit, how can we not take him up on the challenge to blaze a trail of everlasting life?
I want to tell you about the most common property of light. Most of you will agree that this principle is plain common sense. My hope is you will receive a better understanding of how God wants us to carry the torch and lift high the flame and march through the darkness in the light of his name.
God didn’t create us to dwell in darkness. While things might be easier in the night, the Lord created us to be children of the day. Light reveals what can too easily be hidden in the dark.
The carpet and furniture in my house looks really good until you turn the light on. The light shows the spots in the carpet and it reveals the dust and the many flaws in my furniture and will, in general, show me where I need to clean if I want to make the effort. Or I can just choose to keep all the dimmers as dim as possible.
A prominent radio pastor shared his past one day on his program, and I love this illustration. He referred to the passage in John 3:19-21. Before he came to Jesus as Lord he would visit bars in the area to drink his troubles away.
One bar in particular was his favorite because it was cool, dark, and generally very quiet. Along with the alcohol he could get a cheeseburger. It was cooked on a griddle that gave it a special flavoring. The grease combined with a thick slice of cheese on a butter bun made it a fantastic lunch.
After he came to Christ he would frequent the same bar and get that burger, but instead of alcohol he would get a Coke. He would visit with some of the people he knew to share with them his new found relationship in Christ.
One Saturday he decided to take his wife to get one of the famous hamburgers. When they arrived he noticed that the normally darkened windows were cleaned of the dark shading. They walked in and discovered the inside well lit. He asked the owner and the owner explained they were doing some remodeling. He also asked if he and his wife would like two cheeseburgers and two Cokes.
The pastor said yes and went to his usual table. As they sat and visited he began to notice the condition of the bar. He could now see the dirt and grime on the floor. He also noticed that the tables were not particularly clean.
In the light he could see the cook’s area and noticed that the grill had not been cleaned for what looked like months. He saw dead cockroaches on the floor.
The place literally was disgusting in the light. In the darkness he had noticed nothing but the light revealed all of the filth in the place. When the burgers arrived he was no longer hungry and as he lifted the glass to his lips he noticed that the bottom had not been cleaned. It had what looked like a crusted milk ring at the bottom. Needless to say he politely paid his bill and said goodbye. He left never to return.
Had anything changed from all those years before? Not really, but the light revealed a filthy, sticky, cockroach -infested, disgusting place. The light revealed all of the filth.
The light found in Jesus came into the world so we might see the mess as a result of our sin and recognize our need for somebody to clean this mess up. Thank you, Jesus. He was willing to become our quicker-picker-upper and not just do a surface cleaning, but an honest to goodness thorough reconstruction.
When we use each other as our standards of measurement, we can usually feel pretty good about ourselves by just strategically positioning ourselves in the right place in the crowd.
I may not be as good as Billy Graham, but I’m lots better than the axe murderer; or am I? The problem is that we don’t measure our holiness by the light of the silvery human, but we are judged via the brightness of our God.
1 Timothy 6:16 says that our God “Is immortal and lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.”
We might be able to fudge our records in the light of the world but the one who is the Light of the world shows us that we are not even close when it comes to measuring up to perfection. We are all sinners in need of the Savior.
So as we come to the end of another year, are you willing to allow God to flip the switch?
Christmas was the day the Son came down so the light would stay on and we would no longer have to wander aimlessly in the dark. 
Through Jesus Christ, the light of the world, we have a bright path to follow. He is our Light. He is our Holiness. He is our new Day and our new Way.
Don’t try to enjoy in the dark what you would be embarrassed by in the light. Let Christ be born in you. Let his light shine anew in you.
Let it begin anew today.
If you really want a Happy New Year, then ask the Lord to shine a light on you and rather than just a ball falling down, a bulb will be turning on and the future looks so bright, you will never settle for the dark again.