But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. –1 John 1:7
In a few days it will be the first day of summer, often called “the longest day of the year.” But it’s not. All days are 24 hours. It’s not the length of the day that changes; what changes is the amount of daylight. And that makes all the difference. On June 20th we will have 15 hours and 35 minutes of daylight. We will enjoy every minute of it because we know that, come winter, it will be dark for that long each day. It’s not the length of the day that matters. It’s the time that it’s light.
In the bible one of the distinguishing characteristics of God is light. 1 John 1:5 says, “God is light, in him there is no darkness at all.” Jesus also calls himself “the light of the world” and he says, “whoever follows me will never walk in darkness” (John 8:12). The promise is not just 15 hours of light per day. It’s light 24/7 when we walk with Jesus.
But Jesus goes even further. Not only does he promise 24/7 light when we walk with him, but he promises that his light can so fill us that we become a light to others. “You are the light of the world,” he says, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see the good you do and give praise to your Father in Heaven.” (Matthew 15:14,16)
Enjoy all 15 hours and 35 minutes of daylight this week, because the next week it will start getting shorter. But, no matter how long the sun shines each day, if we walk with Jesus we can always be in the light. And following him we can light up the world.
Summer blessings,
Pastor Mark
Don’t forget to sign up your children, grandchildren, and/or neighbors for VBS (rezumc.org/vbs).