December 14, 2013
Dear Families,
One of the great themes of John's Gospel is light and darkness.
In today's lesson Jesus is telling His closest friends that the hour
of His death and glorification is coming very soon (John 12:23). He
tells them, in John 12:35-36, their time of opportunity is limited. He
is the light of the world, but His public ministry is almost over. The darkness of night was coming in which evil powers would hold sway over people. The man who walks in the dark
means an unbeliever who stumbles through life without knowing what life
is all about and where he is headed. The disciples and anyone present
had the privilege to trust in the Light (Jesus) and become sons of Light (His disciples).
There is a strong applications in this lesson for all of us. Jesus is
still the Light of the world and each of us, adults and children, have
the privilege, opportunity and choice to know and obey the Light we are
given in God's word - the Bible, or to ignore the light we are given and instead walk in darkness. During
this Christmas season, as we think about the birth of God's Son,
Jesus, the Light of the Word, coming into the very dark and evil world
of the first century, take time to discuss as a family what that means
to you.
How does light (God's word) help us avoid danger? What does God's
light reveal is in our heart? Are we drawn to His light for warmth and
welcome or is it too bright? What is about darkness that we enjoy? Do we
prefer to hid our sin in darkness rather than expose it to light? What
dangers await for us in the dark? The choice is ours now, but there will
come a day, when Jesus returns for His followers, that our opportunity
to become Sons of Light will be gone.
Use the beautiful Christmas lights that decorate our homes as
reminders that Jesus came at the Light of the World and wants to give
light to our life.
Merry Christmas to our wonderful Kids Zone families
Nancy and Severn
