PASTOR'S MESSAGE

 

From Darkness to Light

Ephesians 5:8-14 

Rose Crawford had been blind since birth.  At the age of 30 she discovered that there was a type of delicate eye surgery that could help her see.  When the bandages were removed, Rose wept at the beautiful colors that greeted her.  What is unusual about Rose’s story is that 20 years of her blindness were unnecessary.  She was unaware of the advancements of medical science and just figured that there was nothing that could be done, when in reality she could have been healed much sooner.

My friends, how many people are there out there living in darkness, spiritually blind and unaware that Jesus Christ can remove the darkness of sin and death and bring the marvelous light of salvation?  Maybe we ourselves at times struggle with the darkness of despair and shame, when we could be basking in the light of Jesus’ love.  If so, then St. Paul has good news for us today in our Epistle lesson, where he says:  “FOR YOU WERE ONCE DARKNESS, BUT NOW YOU ARE LIGHT IN THE LORD.”

According to St. Paul, Jesus has already removed our darkness and transferred us into His glorious light.  In fact, He’s actually transformed us into light, in union with Him.  Now in Scripture, darkness usually symbolizes sin and death, whereas light symbolizes purity and life.  And that’s what Jesus came to bring.  By His death on the cross He has stomped out all the darkness of our sin and iniquity.  He has even conquered the darkness of death itself.  You might say that He turned the power off on them and put them in the darkness, when He flipped on the switch of His forgiving light and shed His blood to disperse all the gloomy shadows of our guilt and shame.  And He sent all the wonderful light of His love shining down upon us in our Baptism.

That’s what St. Paul was talking about in the final verse of our text, when he said:  “WAKE UP, O SLEEPER, RISE FROM THE DEAD, AND CHRIST WILL SHINE ON YOU!”  Many Biblical scholars believe that this was an early Baptismal Hymn, sung by the congregation as the person came out of the water, indicating that they had risen from the deep, dark sleep of spiritual death into the light of God’s saving truth.  As a matter of fact, Justin Martyr, one of the early church fathers, often referred to Baptism as Enlightenment or Illumination, because in Baptism the Holy Spirit removes from our eyes the scales of unbelief and enlightens us with faith in Jesus.  Yes, we were once darkness.  But now, through Baptism, we are light in the Lord.

As a result, St. Paul encourages us to live as children of light.  Specifically, he says that this fruit of the light consists of all goodness, righteousness and truth.  At first glance, ‘fruit of the light’ may seem like a mixed metaphor.  But it’s really not.  For just as plants need light for photosynthesis, to grow and flourish and bear fruit.  So we also need the Light of God’s love, the power of His Holy Spirit to bear the fruit of goodness, righteousness and truth.  In particular, we are to be good to our neighbor, watching out for his welfare and helping out in time of need, which includes giving to the poor and visiting the sick and elderly. 

Likewise, we are to live righteous lives, conforming ourselves to the pattern of Jesus Christ our Savior and following in His footsteps, by being His witnesses and telling others the Gospel of Salvation.  For as Jesus Himself said:  “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.”

Above all, we are to conduct ourselves according to the truth.  But the only way we can do that, is if we know that truth.  And the only source of truth for life is God’s Holy Word, the inspired and inerrant Scriptures.  Indeed, that’s what Paul was getting at, when he said that we should, “HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE FRUITLESS DEEDS OF DARKNESS, BUT RATHER EXPOSE THEM.”  You see, the word ‘expose’ actually means: ‘to correct or cross-examine, like an attorney in court.  We are to rigorously examine everything we think, say and do, every doctrine and practice we come into contact with, rejecting the falsehood and correcting what is wrong.

We might think of it this way:  in the Bazaars of the ancient near east, shops were often simply little covered enclosures with no windows.  A man might want to purchase a piece of silk or some other item of interest.  But before he bought it, he would take it outside to examine it in the sunlight, in order to reveal any hidden flaws.  In the same way, you and I need to be in constant contact with the sunlight of God’s Holy Word, examine our lives in the light of its truth, in order to reveal any hidden flaws.

That only problem is that this fallen world we live in is still full of darkness, and our sinful human nature just naturally gravitates toward that darkness.  In our text, Paul says that we should have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness.  But sadly, too often we do.  As a matter of fact, the word he used there is actually the word for ‘fellowship.’  In other words, we should have no fellowship with the darkness of sin and iniquity.  After all, darkness and light cannot coexist with one another.  And yet, so often that’s what we try to do in our lives.   We want to chase after the lustful passions of the world, and at the same time live godly and upright lives.  But it won’t work.  Because when we gravitate to the darkness, it overwhelms us with despair and disgrace, and extinguishes the light of God’s love and truth.

Dear friends, that’s why we daily need a wake up call, to bring us back to God’s holy light.  As the Baptismal Hymn in our text says:  “WAKE UP, O SLEEPER, RISE FROM THE DEAD, AND CHRIST WILL SHINE ON YOU!”  I remember when I was attending Concordia College in Ann Arbor, Michigan, during one of the first snowfalls of the season I was in Greek class.  Well, this Arizona boy had never seen such beautiful, fluffy snow.  I was completely engrossed in watching the big flakes come down, while my professor was droning on and on with a long and involved question.  Unfortunately, I made the mistake of looking back at him just as he finished the question.  And of course, he smiled and said:  “Gary, what’s the answer?”  And I had to stammer and say, “Um, could you repeat the question?”

In other words, I needed a wake up call.  Well, in a sense that’s what this Lenten season is.  It’s a wake up call, because it’s a penitential season – a time to return to the Lord in humble repentance and faith – a time to flee from the darkness of sin into the healing light of Jesus’ cross, where we always find pardon and redemption.  The Savior’s waiting, open arms will never drive us away, but will always welcome us with forgiveness and remission of all our sins.  In short, Lent is a time to renew our Baptism by daily contrition, or sorrow over our sin and repentance. 

Baptism, then, is the ultimate wake up call.  In fact, the word ‘wake up’ in our text is the Greek word that means: ‘to rise from the dead.’  And that’s exactly what happened in our Baptism.  Our old sinful Adam was crucified with Jesus and put to death with all its evil lusts.  All our offenses were buried and laid to rest for good.  And then we were raised up with Christ as brand new, forgiven creatures.  For as Luther wrote in a Defense of Baptism from 1533, “Whoever is baptized in Christ is baptized through His suffering and blood, or, to state it more clearly, through Baptism he is bathed in the blood of Christ and is cleansed from sins.  For this reason St. Paul calls Baptism a ‘washing of regeneration’ and according to what Christians say and picture, the Sacraments flow from the wounds of Christ.”

Which is why Luther urges us to daily remember our Baptism, for there we find the comfort of forgiveness that flows from the wounds of Christ – His saving blood that blots out all our transgressions.  Indeed, Luther said that when his last hour came, he planned to remember his own Baptism, by clothing himself in the vestment of Baptismal grace and hearing the absolution of faith and then passing away.  My friends, that’s how we too can live as Children of Light – by daily renewing our Baptism.

At the zoo in Fort Worth, Texas, is a building where the tropical birds are kept.  The hallway where the people walk is dark; the birds are in lighted cases of glass.  All along each side of the building is a long case that looks like a tropical rain forest.  It has a miniature waterfall, a pool, trees, and all sorts of plants.  Among the trees and rocky ledges the small, brightly colored birds fly.  As people watch this, they eventually become aware that there is no glass between them and the birds.  They could reach in and touch them.  Why don’t the birds fly out?  A sign above the cage explains that the birds are afraid of darkness, and when it gets dark, they go to sleep.  They love the light and will not deliberately fly from the light into the darkness.

    Dear friends, that’s what Jesus accomplished for us by His death on the cross, and what He poured out to us our Baptism – the light of life.  He brought us out of the darkness of Satan’s cruel domain into the light of His heavenly kingdom.  May God the Holy Spirit renew us each day, so that we do not fly back into the darkness, but continue to cling the light of truth in God’s Holy Word, for Jesus’ sake.  Amen. 

         

                              

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