"CHILDREN OF LIGHT"
Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 26, 2017
Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church
Glenshaw, Pennsylvania
TEXT:
At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.
Ephesians 5:8-10 (ESV)
Light is certainly a prominent theme in the Scriptures. The very first story recorded in the Bible--the story of God creating the universe in six days--begins with this account of the first day: "God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day" (Genesis 1:3-5). The book of Psalms (which is the only divinely-inspired hymnal and prayer book of God's people) speaks of God as our "Light and [our] Salvation" (Psalm 27:1) and of His people as longing for "the Light of Life" (Psalm 56:13). The ancient prophets also spoke repeatedly about the light of God's truth shining in a world of darkness and sin (Isaiah 9:2; 42:6; 49:6; 58:8; 10; 60:1).
All of these prophecies and longings found their ultimate fulfillment, of course, in the incarnation of the Son of God, which John the evangelist described with these words: "The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome It" (John 1:5). The dawning of the light of the Gospel in this world of darkness and sin accentuates the stark contrast between darkness and light--and the superiority of the light over the darkness. Physically as well as spiritually, light can dispel darkness but no amount of darkness can extinguish the light. In this morning's Epistle Saint Paul relates this struggle between darkness and light to us personally as the people of God in Jesus Christ. The apostle explains first of all that we have been changed and then he goes on to explain what we have been changed into, challenging us and encouraging us to live as the people who we now are by virtue of our Baptism into Christ, who is "the Light of the world" (John 8:12).
The text before us begins with the words, "At one time you were darkness." I can think of no better way to describe the spiritual condition in which we were all conceived and born. From the very moment of our conception we are sinners, as David states so clearly in his well-known psalm of repentance: "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Psalm 51:5). Not only are we "by nature sinful and unclean" (Lutheran Service Book, page 184). but we are also by nature spiritually ignorant, so that we aren't even aware of the great spiritual danger that we are in as sinners who stand under the judgment of the holy and righteous God. Realizing this ought to make us even more grateful for what the Holy Spirit has done for us in awakening us to our miserable condition through the Law of God and giving us forgiveness and hope in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Without the rude awakening brought about by the Law, we would never be receptive to the Gospel.
The Spirit who speaks the word of judgment and condemnation to us through the Law does so in order that we might be hungry for the Word of grace that He speaks to us in the Gospel. In Word and Sacrament He graciously communicates that Word to us, making it possible for the apostle to say of us, "now you are light in the Lord." The Light that we now live in is the light of Christ--the One who stood in our place under the Law, completely fulfilling it in every last detail by His life of perfect obedience. He stood in our place also under the judgment of God when He completely met the demands of divine justice by suffering and dying on the cross for us. Because of what He did--and solely because of what He did--we are bathed in the light of God's grace. We are forgiven for what is past and empowered for a glorious future of service to the God who has so richly poured out His grace upon us in Christ. The same light of Christ that has redeemed us from sin and death makes it possible for us to please God in everything that we think and say and do.
This is so because, by the power of that Spirit, we have been changed into "children of light." That's not just a status; it's also a challenge, for the text tells us: "Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord." That's a pretty tall order, to say the least. What we are told here is that now that we have been changed into "children of light," it is our responsibility to live as the people that God has said we are. This involves knowing and doing the will of God as it is revealed in His Law. Knowing His will is one thing (we can do that simply by studying His Word, particularly the Law) but doing it is something else altogether--especially since the standard that the Law places before us and demands that we meet is a standard of perfection. This is clearly beyond our capacity--"children of light" or not.
The Good News that is ours in the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that we can please God in spite of our sin and even in spite of our ongoing imperfections. Because we are "children of light," God judges us in light of the perfect righteousness offered to Him for us by His perfect Son. Because Jesus lived the perfect life that the Law of God demands of us (and because we have been baptized into Christ) His perfect righteousness is ours as we stand before God the Judge. And because Jesus died on the cross to make atonement for our sin (and because we are baptized into Christ) our sin has been put to death--done away with--purged--forgiven. The Law certainly continues to instruct us as to what the will of God is (and it always will), but it is the Gospel of Christ that empowers us to please God in our attempts to do so, removing our imperfections and replacing them with the perfect merits of our Savior. Because of this God accepts our attempts to please Him, no matter how feeble those attempts may be (provided those attempts are made in faith--trusting solely in the merits of Christ--and in thanksgiving for what Jesus has done for us). He regards these attempts as perfect for the sake of the perfect Christ, and He is pleased with them.
Earlier I made mention of the fact that Jesus Christ is "the Light of the world" (John 8:12). That title is derived from one of the Lord's well-known "I Am" statements that He made in the Fourth Gospel. What we sometimes forget is that He also said to His disciples: "You are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14) and He went on to tell them: "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). Because we are baptized into Christ, we are united with Him in His death and in His resurrection. That means that the Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to die to sin every day and to rise and live in and for Christ. By the power of the Spirit given to us in Baptism we are in the process of being conformed to the image of Christ. By the grace of God, given to us by the Spirit Himself, we are able to be children of light in Him who is our Light--Jesus Christ, our slain and risen Savior.
Amen.
May the One who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, making us kings and priests before His God and Father, lead you to a life of repentance and trust. May He also be glorified in the lives of you, His people. He who calls you is faithful, and He will do it. Amen.