Pursued by the Light

by

Practicing Faith

On several occasions I have made the long drive from Rhode Island to Indiana. Having neither the time nor the money in those days to stop for a motel, I opted to drive through the night. Typically I left RI in the afternoon and arrived in Indiana mid morning. It was a long haul. I paced myself with breaks for gas, food and naps. But by the time I got to the Ohio border I always found myself wondering it this had been a good idea. Somewhere south of Cleveland a minor miracle began to occur. In my rearview mirror I could see a subtle change: the black sky ahead and above was touched by a lighter hue, evidence that the dark of night was being chased by the dawn. In an hour or so it would be light again and I knew that I would be ‘home free.’

The experience has always been something of a parable for me. Just when the darkness seemed endless, and the weariness oppressive, I was reminded that I was being pursued by the light, that the dawn would come, and that soon I would be back in home territory and refreshed.

The contrast between dark and light runs throughout scripture. Darkness on the face of the deep gave way to light on the first day of creation. The Psalmist affirmed: “The Lord is my light and my salvation. The Prophet Isaiah exclaims: “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you,” and “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” John announces: “The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.” Jesus pronounces: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” Indeed!

There is a hymn that much of the contemporary church seems to have forgotten. In it Charles Wesley captures the power of light over darkness: “Christ, whose glory fills the skies, Christ, the true and only Light, Sun of Righteousness, arise, triumph o'er the shade of night; Day-spring from on high, be near; Day-star, in my heart appear.” Likening the coming of Christ to the dawn, Wesley prays for light and salvation. In Christ is the Light of the world.

The last time I made the long overnight trip from Rhode Island to Indiana was during a study renewal leave. I needed to touch base with my roots. My plan was to visit my ‘sacred places’ - to drive by the homes where I had lived and the schools I had attended, visit the church I grew up in and the church I had served, walk the grounds of Epworth Forest where I experienced my call to ministry, and visit the last of my family there plus a few friends. Of course not every memory was sweet. Seeing the ‘sacred places’ again also meant remembering the hard times, thinking back on times that “but for the grace of God” I came close to making a mess of my life; remembering the people and the pastors who literally saved my life and my faith. Along the way I reconciled with an elderly uncle, and had an eye-opening conversation with cousins that helped me to understand family roots in ways that had been hidden from me. It was a transforming experience.

In some ways it all began with that exhausting overnight journey to my roots. Somewhere west of sunrise I became aware that I was being pursued by the light, and I realized that in the light I would make it home. In his hymn Wesley wrote: “Dark and cheerless is the morn unaccompanied by thee; joyless is the day's return till thy mercy's beams I see, till they inward light impart, cheer my eyes and warm my heart.” Oh, yes! No matter how much darkness we may encounter in our life journey, there is light that pursues, warms, and illuminates our way.

When we are pursued by the light, it is the prelude to a mini resurrection, a life giving reminder that there is no darkness that cannot be overcome by the light of Christ. In today’s world that is very good news, indeed! So, let us make Charles Wesley’s concluding verse our prayer: “Visit, then, this soul of mine, pierce the gloom of sin and grief; fill me, Radiancy divine, scatter all my unbelief; more and more thyself display, shining to the perfect day!” Amen!

The Rev. F. Richard Garland is a retired clergy member of the New England Annual Conference. This post is republished with the author's permission from his Facebook page.