The Light of Christ in the World

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.” John 1:1-5

Dear People of St. David’s,

There is much darkness in our world. This comes as no surprise, because on Sundays, we make it known in our prayers of the people. In church we say, “Loving God, we bring before you those who are plagued by war, natural disasters, conflicts, and illness, especially the people of Israel, Palestine, and Ukraine. We pray for those who are unsettled over pressures and events in their lives. Sometimes it feels like the darkness and the evil in the world is just too much. We turn on our TVs, read our newspapers, and feel helpless amongst all the conflict.

As Christians, when faced with so much darkness, we have the antidote; Jesus Christ who is the light of the world. When we lean into that light, the darkness becomes less. We are reminded of healing and resurrection when we focus on the love and light of God in Jesus Christ. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness will never overtake it.

On Sunday, I returned with some parishioners of St. David’s from a mission trip to Uganda. During our time there, we visited with our partners at Trinity Children’s Centre, Centenary High School, and Double Cure Hospital. St. David’s has played a significant role in helping build upon these ministries. We have helped provide opportunities for education and health care in areas of Uganda that experience a lot of poverty and illness and have partnered with good people. Our partners there are doing everything in their power to be the light of Christ in the world. It has not been an easy journey, but through this partnership they have achieved amazing things in Uganda, with the help of Jesus Christ.

On November 5^th, I preached a sermon at Trinity Children’s Centre’s 37th Anniversary Celebration. I reminded those present that they are the light of God in the world and are doing the excellent work of Jesus Christ: work of love and resurrection. They should be proud of how far they have come and how many people they have impacted along the way. The reality is that there is a lot of darkness in the world and sometimes it can be overwhelming, but we must remember that we are the light of God in the world. When we lean into the love Jesus modeled for us in the gospels, we are leaning into the light of God, a light that will never succumb to the darkness.

Blessings,

The Rev. Thomas Szczerba, Jr.
Associate Rector