Jesus the True Light - John 1. 1-14
Story: About 20 years ago I went on a training conference when I was working as a Patent Attorney for a Swiss multinational company called Sandoz.
And one of the conundrums they set us to test our ingenuity was this:
You are in a plane flying over the desert and as you are sitting near the cockpit you hear the Captain giving his co-ordinates to the tower at 15.00 hours.
Half an hour later, however the plane crashes in an uninhabited part of the desert in which the only vegetation is a few cactus trees.
But before the plane crashes you hear the Captain sending off an SOS message to the tower and you hear them reply – but you can’t make out what they have said.
The plane crashes and no one is hurt but the radio is totally destroyed and it looks as if the plane is going to explode in a few minutes time
In the plane there are only ten things that you can see that can be taken out of the plane – but you can only take three of them.
What three items would best ensure your survival and why.
You have three minute to get into groups to decide:
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The ten items are:
1. A bottle of water
2. A box of salt tablets
3. A parachute
4. A knife
5. A sun hat
6. A lady’s vanity mirror
7. A watch
8. A compass
9. A first aid box
10. Sunglasses
Question: What are those three most important items that you would take from the plane to ensure your survival?
You only have three minutes to decide what to take starting NOW.
Three minutes later. STOP.
What did you decide?
The answer- according to the US Military’s top survival expert was as follows:
3. The third most important item was the knife – because it can be used to cut the cactuses to provide drinking water
2. The second most important item is the parachute – because once the plane blows up you will have no shelter from the sun
1. The most important item is
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the lady’s vanity mirror, because you can use it to reflect the light of the sun and so attract the attention of any plane sent out to look for you.
Our theme this morning is that of Jesus being THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.
St. John speaks of Jesus being “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.”
But it wasn’t just St John who made this claim about Jesus
Jesus himself made this astounding statement about himself
“I am the Light of the world” (Jn 9:5)
Story: Holman Hunt, the pre Raphaelite painter painted his famous picture “Light of the World” between 1851-1853.
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Actually there are three copies:
1. One in Manchester City Art Gallery
2. A second in Keble College Oxford and
3. The third is in St. Paul’s Cathedral
And rather surprisingly at the bottom of the guilded frame in the Copy in St Paul’s Cathedral are the words from Rev 3:20:
‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with me’.
One of Holman Hunt’s friends is reputed to have looked at the door and noticed that there was no handle on it.
He asked Hunt why.
Holman Hunt replied: The handle is on the inside.
As we enter a new year, the choice before us is ours.
Whether or not we reflect the light of Jesus in our communities
If we are going to be like the lady’s compact mirror to the world, then we must allow Christ into all the areas in our lives
It is only then that we will be able to reflect Christ in the world
If Jesus is the light of the World, this year’s challenge is “How will that affect the way you live in 2011?
1. One way we can reflect the light of Jesus in this world is by sharing the love of Jesus to those around us
2. Another way we can reflect the light of Jesus in this world is by preaching the Good News that Jesus came to this world to reconcile us to God through his death on the Cross.
Can you recall the words of what is known as the “Great Commission” in Mt 28:18-20
….go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[1] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
3. A third way we can reflect the light of Jesus in this world is by showing the world how God wants us to live – by the church living harmoniously together
Let me read you what the early church was like
from Acts 2: Peter has just been preaching and St Luke in the book of Acts records this:
42They (the Church) devoted themselves to the apostles
