“Then God said, ‘Let there be light’ and there was light.” Genesis 1:3
Science has discovered that everything in the universe is made up of tiny particles of energy called atoms (including you and me). Whether or not you accept the “big bang theory”, I have to believe that when God spoke those countless particles of energy into existence it must have been the ultimate light show.
Just as God gave physical light to His creation, He brought full spiritual light into the world through His Son. “The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.” (John 1:9) “The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness can never extinguish it.” (John 1:4-5) Jesus said to us, “You are the light of the world – like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:14-16) There are many other scripture passages about light. I couldn’t begin to list them all here, but I’m sure you have your favorites, as I do.
There is a story that has circulated for years about a student’s response to an atheist professor. It has falsely been attributed to Albert Einstein, but it is a defense of faith that is worth another look.
A University professor challenged his students with this question. “Did God create everything that exists?” A student bravely replied, “Yes he did!” “God created everything?” The professor asked. “Yes sir, he certainly did,” the student replied. The professor answered, “If God created everything; then God created evil. And, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then we can assume God is evil.” The student became quiet and did not answer the professor’s hypothetical definition. The professor, quite pleased with himself, boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth. Another student raised his hand and said, “May I ask you a question, professor?” “Of course”, replied the professor. The student stood up and asked, “Professor does cold exist?” “What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?” The young man replied, “In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-460 F) is the total absence of heat; and all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat.” The student continued, “Professor, does darkness exist?” The professor responded, “Of course it does.” The student replied, “Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact, we can use Newton’s prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn’t this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present.” Finally the young man asked the professor, “Sir, does evil exist?” Now uncertain, the professor responded, “Of course, as I have already said. We see it every day. It is in the daily examples of man’s Inhumanity to man. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.” To this the student replied, “Evil does not exist, sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God’s love present in his heart. It’s like the cold that comes when there is no heat, or the darkness that comes when there is no light.” The professor sat down.
Socrates said something very interesting around 400 years before Jesus’ birth, “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”
Elisabeth Kübler–Ross, who spent her career studying death and dying wrote, “People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in; their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.”
May the light of God’s Spirit shine from within us displaying His true beauty as we give honor and glory to our Father for all that we accomplish while walking in His light.