Dear church,

Of all the things on this earth God has created and taken interest in, the most special is the church and the people who comprise it. 

Understandably, we forget this. We live in a world that chews people up and spits them out and forgets all about them. We do this, too. We encounter long-lost friends and struggle to recall their names. 

But God never forgets us. His light is shining on his people always. “When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand.” The light showed forward and fell upon the 12 loaves of bread in the holy place of the tabernacle. Those loaves of bread symbolized the 12 tribes of Israel. At all times, the light of God’s blessing was upon his people. 

“The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you” (Numbers 6:25; also Zechariah 4:10).

The life we live as Christians is a life spent walking in the light (Isaiah 9:2; 1 John 1:7). God has given his church something the rest of the world may only dream about, if it knows anything about it at all. We live under the blessing of God and in the presence of God.  

The things we do and say no longer are done and said in darkness and with a lack of knowledge. They are done in the light of God’s presence. He is with us. He sees us and never forgets us. He shows us about ourselves, and we know right from wrong. We can see where we are going. And we can see things that others, perhaps, cannot – all because we are living our lives in the light of God’s blessing. 

This brings with it a special responsibility on our part. We must remain in the light. We abide here in this place, moving neither too quickly to outrun the light nor too slowly to be left behind in the darkness. 

Am I still in the light today? Am I depending on the presence and power of God in my life?

Chris