We are encouraged to lift up our eyes to the heavens to see
the Lord. The writer sees the glory of
the skies, the sun, moon and stars, and in these sees the majesty of the
Lord. The provision of light by day and
night, one lesser, one greater, never complete darkness on His creation, is
truly an amazing thing to consider. It
should remind us that we are to be light into a dark world, He never leaves
Himself without witness not only in creation but also among those created in
His image. There is a certain glory to
the heavens and the earth but greater still the glory of humankind in His
image. It is easier to see that glory of
the heavens because they continue their appointed courses while we have marred
our own glory by sin. That glory,
however, is seen in Jesus, the perfect, sinless man, and is most evident at the
Transfiguration. He, however, pointed to
the cross, where He took on our sin, as the place of His glorification, and it
is there indeed that we share in His glory by becoming children of God and it
is there that we find strength to praise our redeemer.
While the writer of Ecclesiasticus finds praise in creation,
John points to the agent of creation, the Word of God through whom all things
were created and who is Himself the Light of the World and in that light there
is life for humankind. This light has
come into the world but the world didn't know it, the knowledge of our creator,
in whose image we are created, was lost to us.
If we do not recognize Him, we can never recognize either truth or true
humanity. We attempted to put out the
light on the cross because we could not bear what that light revealed in us,
but darkness has never overcome the light, and three days later, the light
burst forth into life again and that light is the lamp of the new Jerusalem
where there is no darkness at all. We,
here in this life, are to be the lamp through which the light of Christ shines
forth continually. He made the Father
known and it is our mission to make Jesus known.
Our unity is in the faith and knowledge of Jesus. The gifts are given to the church in order to
facilitate those aims. The gift of faith
is the beginning of maturity, our new birth, the gift of the indwelling Spirit
is for knowledge. The gifts are to build
us up to unity and maturity, that we may know Him and make Him known in the world. Such knowledge is too wonderful to contain
and keep to ourselves. The knowledge of
God, theology, must lead to doxology, the praise of God. If it does not, it is not properly called
knowledge. Let us love and sing and
wonder this day.
Christ, whose glory
fills the skies,
Christ, the true, the only Light,
Sun of Righteousness, arise,
Triumph o’er the shades of night;
Dayspring from on high, be near;
Day-star, in my heart appear.
Christ, the true, the only Light,
Sun of Righteousness, arise,
Triumph o’er the shades of night;
Dayspring from on high, be near;
Day-star, in my heart appear.
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,
Glad my eyes, and warm my heart.
Unaccompanied by Thee;
Joyless is the day’s return
Till Thy mercy’s beams I see;
Till they inward light impart,
Glad my eyes, and warm my heart.
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.
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.
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