Section 2: People of the Light
Most of us rarely find ourselves navigating in total darkness. There are always the small lights to guide us where we need to go, even if it’s just the tiny flashlight on our phones, and when we do find ourselves dodging furniture on a midnight trip to the refrigerator, the familiarity we’ve walked in the daytime helps us make our way without getting lost. Even in the darkest winter nights, we don’t need someone to drag us around and shout directions. We have become so familiar with the terrain that we can safely navigate without fear.
This feels true in our everyday lives too. In today’s reading, we see Jesus teaching something a little different than how we often think of the Christian life—keep these rules, do these steps, check these boxes. Most of the time, following Him is less like taking orders and more like making our way with Jesus in the dark.
From the start of His ministry, Jesus made it clear that His role wasn’t what the Jewish people expected. He didn’t come as a conquering king to overthrow Rome. Instead, He spoke of being lifted up—the literal type of death He would die—in order to draw all people to Himself and to God. For so long, His followers assumed that the Messiah would come and reign among them, but when they press Him on the issue, He answers, “The light will be with you only a little longer. Walk while you have the light so that darkness doesn’t overtake you…become children of light” (John 12:35–36).
Instead of a conquering king, He points them to light. And light shows us reality—every clear path, every obstacle. Light, sometimes, is just enough to see by, like the beam of a flashlight cutting through the winter gloom.
When Jesus invites us to become children of light, He invites us to sacrificial love and humility. It means loving our brothers and sisters, because God is love and God is light and “the true light is already shining” (1John 2:8). It means seeking deep familiarity with the reality we’ve been shown, and living as “a people for his possession, so that [we] may proclaim the praises of the one who called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1Peter 2:9).
And when we walk as Jesus walked, we can re-enter the darkness without fear. Even there, the light still shines.
❤️
Okay… I did NOT press the enter key. (I purposely stayed away from it, but my post posted before my corrections, apparently!) Sorry, sisters!
KELLY… thank you for always following up, so that you know how to continue in prayer for those that have asked for prayer.
KELLY… thank you for always following up, so that you know how to continue in prayer for those needing .
I pray that all my SRT sisters had a blessed day. I love this study’s focus on light. (This Little Light of Mine” has more meaning for me at preschool!) Our Bible lesson this week was on Jesus’ birth. (Christmas break starts next week, so the lesson is a wee bit early.) But the big takeaway that I hope the kids came away with was that we are celebrating His birth, yet WE are the ones getting the presents, and the BEST present, of course,is Jesus himself!
1 John 1:6 spoke so loud to me!
“If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth.”
I’ve lived my moments of saying what I wanted people to believe, but not acting that out. This is my first advent season with SRT and truly my first advent study. I can’t remember a single advent Sunday sermon, especially not one that helped me understand what it all meant. So I have truly been enjoying this book study!
Amy…. YES.. that quote stood out to me to.. kind of like when wondering what to do, instead of asking God to tell us what to do…..give us a command…. we can instead look for where Jesus would be standing in the situation, calling to us “I’m over here…. Come over here with me!” Just read 1 Colossians 3:1-17 in another study I’m doing and was reminded of a SRT Podcast where the guest referenced putting on the new self as being akin to putting on victory clothes instead of garments of defeat “works of the flesh”. Praying I can look for Jesus and where He stands in all I say and do. Prayers for all the requests today.
John 12:25 is a good verse this time of the year. The focus that should be Christmas is often clouded by the materialistic. I spend way too much time searching for the perfect gifts when the only perfect gift was found in a stable. It’s hard at times to keep the right perspective. I like my creature comforts but God tells me through John that I need to be willing to relinquish this earthly life and focus on true life in Jesus Christ. What am I willing to forego in order to follow Jesus and further His kingdom plan here until He returns? At my age, I have more years behind me than ahead of me. How might I be the most productive, for the time I have left, in order to gain more of Him and less of this world? Lord, may Your Light shine so brightly that it overshadows the sparkliest gift under my tree. May I point to You as the best gift of all.