March 26th Reflection - Come out! - by Bill Lynch

Ephesians 5:8-14
8 For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light— 9 for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. 10 Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; 13 but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14 for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, "Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

Reflection - Come out!
When we've come out of the darkness of our sin into the Light of Christ all things change. We can see! We couldn't see when we were in the darkness of our sin. We couldn't see the harm we were doing to not only ourselves but to so many other people as well. But when we come to God in sin and God shows us Love and forgiveness, even in the consequences of our sin, we live in a new Light. We live aware of our sin but at the same time free from that sin so that we can rejoice in the Light and live anew.

That's grace! That's the grace of God that comes to us in the Light of Christ. When our sin is exposed to God and God's Spirit shows us a new and different way, we experience the freedom only Jesus can grant. So, when this passage states "Sleeper, awake!" I can't help but to think of how Lazarus must have felt when he stepped out of that tomb and saw the Light of Christ before him commanding him to "Come out!"

Yes, we too "Come out!" from our sin and step into the bright Light of Christ when we come to Jesus in faith and hope for forgiveness of our sin. We too step into the bright Light of Christ in new life.

When we step into the Light of Christ the first thing we see is Jesus and then, we step into the communion of saints who are joyful in our change from darkness to stepping into the Light. We are now in communion with the Church. We are invited and yes we are joyful too to respond in the work of the saints of the Light. We gladly reach out of the Church to the sick, the poor, those in prison, the hungry, the homeless, yes all of those people that are just like us that God sent Jesus to save. We step into the Light of Christ and we step into the Joy of the Spirit of the Church and we step out of the Church into the mission and call that God has prepared for us and all of his Church. We go! We go, as children of the Light. And we go in all joy and thanksgiving for what God first done through Jesus for all of the world.

I leave you with this song that reminds me of what it must have been like for Lazarus and how it is like my step from sin into the Light of Christ and the joy of the Church.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Byh3ElOl_Q

Prayer
Lord, I come to you and kneel humbly in your presence. I can't live without your Love and forgiveness.  Call my name from the darkness of my sin into your Light and the joy of the Church... today... tomorrow and forever. --- Amen