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Mar 30, 2024 06:00am

A Liturgy of Light

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My husband jokes with me about my love of lamplight. I get it from my mother. Growing up, we did not have a lot of money. Mom worked hard as a single mother in our early years to provide for our family of three. We lived in a tiny two-bedroom duplex. The small living room held a deep navy blue floral couch and loveseat, each flanked by end tables and lamps. Every evening, as dusk descended upon our house, we would turn on the lamps. Being worn out from a full day of work, Mom would prepare a simple dinner. A can of beef stew poured over rice was one of our favorites. We would gather at the kitchen table and eat. It was a simple life, and I remember that tiny brown duplex fondly. The lamps and light are always there, lit, warm, and cozy, anchors to our couches and our days.

I have been a wife for almost 25 years and have a home now. In my college interior design class, I learned to place lamps in a triangle shape around the room to create the best ambiance. We have three lamps in our living room. If you drew a line from one to the other, it would form a rough triangle shape. Every morning, my first act is to turn on the lamps, light the twinkle lights we have wrapped in lamb’s ear under the TV, and start the coffee. In those early dark hours of each day, my first act is to light the room. Lamps, a candle, sometimes the glow of the essential oil diffuser, and the aroma of brewing coffee. I guess you could call it my morning liturgy. Once the sun rises and light emerges on the horizon, I open the blinds and let more light in.

The first words of Creation of God are dear to me. “Let there be light.” A few spoken words separate the light from darkness. With the Spirit of God hovering over the expanse of darkness and watery depths, I imagine the beauty that emerges in these tranquil moments of Creation. On the fourth day, God creates more lights. There is evening and morning on the first day, yes, but on the fourth day, God adds nuance to the lighting situation. He flings starts, a sun, and a moon into the sky. Now, not only is there light and darkness, evening and morning, but there will also be seasons! Snow days! Pool days! Pumpkin patch days! Daffodils on the mountain days! Beach vacation days! Sunsets and sunrise days!

Let there be light are words that infuse the life with beauty-filled hope. Zechariah 14 talks about the Lord’s triumph and His Reign. The text says that on the day He comes again and His feet touch the Mount of Olives, there will be no light. On that day, the sunlight and moonlight will diminish. It will be a unique day, without day or night, but there will be light in the evening. On that day, living water will flow from Jerusalem. On that day, the Lord will become King over the whole earth.

Light and darkness bookend the beginning and the end. They bookend the beginning and end of our days, of our story, of the Alpha and the Omega. He is the beginning and the end. He is light, and in Him, there is no darkness. We practice liturgies that reflect Him daily, though we may not realize it—the morning ritual of opening the blinds, the evening ritual is turning lamps on and lighting a candle at 5 o’clock, the opening of His Word to speak light into our darkness. The moments illuminating the world around us reflect our Creator, who separates the light from darkness. They illuminate the One who makes seasons that come and go. I am reminded that no season lasts forever, not even this one. Today, as you behold light and darkness, be reminded of God’s first words of Creation, “Let there be light!”

Genesis 1, Zechariah 14, Matthew 5