Come to the Light!

We are gathered this day to celebrate the Epiphany of God’s grace to the Gentiles in the person of Jesus Christ. This Epiphany involved the manifestation, or revelation, of light in the darkness. When light comes into a dark place that which is hidden is exposed. And therefore the coming of light involves a judgment. You see this in the creation week as darkness is followed by light and thus each day is judged to be good. And you see it again as the firstborn of the new creation comes to bring the dawning of a new day following the nighttime of the old covenant. Now, the judgment that follows the dawning of this new day in Jesus Christ is determined by how mankind responds to the light. There are only two responses. You can accept the judgment of the light and be justified, or you can reject the judgment of the light and be condemned. The latter is the response of the wicked that hate the light and love the darkness because their deeds are evil. The former is the response of the righteous that come to the light and walk in the light and have their evil deeds cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Beloved, you have come to the light this morning that your deeds may be seen and judged. Beware how you respond to the light. Don’t allow your heart to be hardened so as to reject the light. Come to the light. Welcome God’s verdict upon you and forsake your unfruitful deeds of darkness. You are children of the light in Jesus Christ and thus God’s verdict upon you is always qualified by your death and resurrection with Jesus. And your death and resurrection with Jesus entails that you walk in the light, confessing your sins and endeavoring to manifest the fruit of the light in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. This is the way appointed for us to have fellowship with God and one another in name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!