Spiritual Practice
Look Up, See the Lights
In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.
3 God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
4 The Word gave life to everything that was created,[a]
and his life brought light to everyone.
5 The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.
The impact of seeing the aurora borealis and sharing this experience with millions around the world is still reverberating in my mind. Following so closely on the solar eclipse which also had us looking upwards at an awe inspiring celestial display, I think it left many of us with a new appreciation of the skies above and the desire to look up more frequently. Unfortunately, in the city, our view of the aurora was dimmed by the myriad of artificial lights that surround us. Street lights, neon signs, office buildings all provide a blaze of light that prevents us from seeing the full magnificence of any heavenly display. These days we are rarely aware of the lights that shine in the darkness.
What would our world look like without all these artificial lights I wonder? Evidently, the luminous glow of light pollution prevents nearly 80 percent of people in North America from seeing the Milky Way in the night sky. Our home galaxy is now hidden from more than one-third of humanity.
There are only a few occasions on which I have been privileged to see the full glory of the God-given lights in the sky, and I still remember them vividly. I remember the long sails across the Atlantic and the Pacific when I was on the M/V Anastasis. We would often sit on deck without a single artificial light shining. The Milky Way was truly awe-inspiring. The Celtic retreats we held on Camano Island for many years was another occasion on which we looked up in appreciation of the skies above. These events often coincided with impressive meteor showers that riveted our attention for most of the evening.
I experienced another form of night light on my first visit to New Zealand and the Waitomo Caves. We were rowed into position in a small boat, turned off all lights and watched as the glowworms slowly appeared. It was truly spectacular.
Artificial light dims our view of God’s world. Does it also dim our view of God? What do we miss out on because of the intensity of the light pollution that surrounds us. ?
Spiritual Practice
Go outside if possible and turn off as many lights as you can. Read John 1:1-5 out loud in the dark, illuminated only by your flashlight. Sit and contemplate these words for a few minutes.
Now look up at the sky. What do you notice? Can you identify the constellations or brightest stars above you? What other objects do you see. How does this make you feel.
What struck me as I read these words today is that though the darkness cannot extinguish the light of Christ, the wrong kind of light can. Turn off all the lights around you and surround yourself with as much darkness as is possible. Sit in the darkness for a couple of minutes. Watch the Advent meditation below, which though it is for the Christmas season seemed very appropriate to me today. Or watch the video of the glowworms above. Several of the images in the meditation are of the aurora borealis. When you are finished, close your computer and turn off your phone. Sit in the darkness for a couple of minutes again, imagining the lights you have seen as the light of Christ shining in the darkness.
Turn on the lights. Ask yourself What are the lights that dim the light of Christ in me and radiating out from me? How is God prompting you to respond?
Photo Credits: Craig Goodwin. Used with permission.