Let There Be Light

BY Patti Sauls

Section 1: The Light of the World 

I had fallen down a rabbit hole. All I did was search “best light bulbs” on my phone. Thirty minutes later I was still standing in the home improvement store’s lighting aisle analyzing online recommendations. Did I want incandescent, fluorescent, halogen, CFL, or LED? Had I considered lumens, watts, or Kelvin numbers? Was I going for daylight, soft white, warm, or cool? It dawned on me (pun intended!) that we are a people obsessed with light. 

We come by this obsession honestly. After all, some of the first words of the first book of the Bible contrast darkness and light, and they culminate in the first recorded, spoken words of God, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3). This is significant: God’s first words announced and celebrated His creation of light, and the imagery continues to shine throughout Scripture. For example, all of the books highlighted in today’s reading refer to light in their first chapter or verses. We have Genesis 1, John 1, Colossians 1, 1 John 1, and the first verses of Psalm 104. Throughout the Bible light is primary, foundational, and vital. We are right to be obsessed with light.

Why so much emphasis on light? Jesus’s disciple John helps us understand in the opening lines of his Gospel. He recognized that Jesus was the divine Messiah and Savior who had been active with God for all eternity. “He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through Him” (John 1:2–3). Together with the spirit of God (Genesis 1:2), God the Father and God the Son created all things. 

What mysteries we’ve stumbled into! Eternity, creation, and the Triune (three-in-one) God. My brain cramps and my eyes strain to see where these deep thoughts lead. Sometimes I doubt that I’ll ever understand or find my way. Whether it’s facing mysterious eternal truths or navigating my own daily twists and turns, I struggle to see reality. How about you? Have you wondered, “Does God really care? Can I trust Him? Where can I find help, hope, forgiveness, and peace?” 

When we’re down a rabbit hole of hurt, doubt, and unbelief, we need a bright light to pierce the dark and show us the way forward. John identified our light source when he declared, “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world” (John 1:9). Just as light reveals hidden realities, Jesus reveals the presence and power of God. His life and death reveal the depths of God’s love and the lengths He would go to give His people ultimate hope, forgiveness, and peace—even sacrificing His Son to conquer the sin and darkness that hangs heavy in the world and in our own hearts.

Advent reminds us that Jesus is primary, foundational, and vital. We are right to be obsessed with the true Light and to once again celebrate God’s announcement and gift, “Let there be light!” (Genesis 1:3).