The Light Of The World

John 8 (2)

I Am the Light of the World

- Read John 8:12

A number of years ago, Gladys, Drew and I took a trip out west and visited Carlsbad Caverns. We made a number of memories on that trip. That was the trip When Drew and I hiked up the side of a mountain, where I promptly fell into a patch of prickly pear cactus. Gladys zooms in with the camera, to see what’s going on, only to see young Drew bent over behind his dad, pulling cactus spurs from his dad’s derriere; an activity his mother had to continue when we returned to the truck. Memories.

That is the trip where we paid extra to tour some additional caverns down the road from the main caverns. We got to go into some caverns where they filmed King Solomon’s Mines. While there, the 2 rangers had us climb up this ramp in the caves, holding onto a rope for balance and to keep us from slipping. One ranger was at the bottom of the ramp and one was at the top, to keep us from touching a la de da formation at the top of the ramp. They warned us not to touch the rock formation there, because they said the oil off our hands would cause the water to run off the rocks and keep them from growing.

Everything went well on the way up the ramp, but on the way down, Gladys and I got separated. Both of the rangers were at the bottom of the ramp this time, helping people. I was also at the bottom of the ramp, looking up for my wife, when I see her lose her balance and slip. Remember the rock formation they didn’t want us to touch? I looked up just in time to see my beloved wife in a full-body embrace of those rocks. Arms, and legs wrapped around that thing.

When she got to the bottom of the ramp, she said, “I slipped, but I don’t think anybody saw me.” I did and nearly died laughing. Memories.

That was the trip when the rangers turned off the lights while we were in the caverns. At least once during each tour, the guides will have everyone put their phones away, and they turn off their flashlights to show everyone what total darkness looks like. They told us how they did that one time and a man said, “Wow. Imagine how dark it would be in here at night.”

Memories.

Darkness.

I want you to know that there is darkness in the world today.

In Romans chapter 1, Paul records, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Are we not seeing this scripture being played out right before our eyes?