Saturday, March 8, 2025
John 12:35-36, NIV
Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.
Reflection
Pastor Caroline Bashore, First United Church of Christ, Royersford and Linfield United Church of Christ
Have you ever played flashlight tag? The rules are simple, a lot like regular tag, except that this game is played at night in the dark and instead of being tagged by someone’s hand, you are tagged if the beam of light from the flashlight lands on you. Some add a twist to the game to make it more exciting, which requires multiple flashlights. Once you’ve been tagged by the light, your role changes—you join the seeker, helping to find others.
Lent, in many ways, feels like that moment in the game when we’re surrounded by shadows. It’s a season when we confront the reality that the light of Jesus will seem to be taken from us, and the darkness may feel overwhelming. Yet, Jesus invites us to believe in the light and become children of the light.
In a simplified way, it’s kind of like flashlight tag… believe in Jesus, be touched by His light and you are forever changed. But becoming a child of light isn’t the destination or the end of the game¾it’s the beginning of a new calling. Jesus is telling us that it is time for us, for the children of light, to pick up the flashlight, and to shine it into the darkness. We have been transformed by the light, and now it’s our turn to seek out those who are lost, struggling, or hidden, and to share the light so that they too can be found and transformed.
God of Light, thank you for touching us with your transforming grace and calling us to be children of the light. Help us to carry your light into the shadows, seeking out those in need, so that all may experience the hope and love found in you. Amen.
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