Let There Be Light!

In the beginning, God created ... everything.

But then, something happened.  Rebellion, from within the created order.  Rebellion, which left creation overwhelmed by chaos, void of life.

And so God set to liberating his creation.  Beginning with light: light, which more than anything else emanated from and shared in God’s very being; light, which had been overwhelmed by darkness.  God spoke, and the light sprang forth from its prison.  God continued: liberating first the air and then the land from the deluge; liberating plants from the ground, releasing creatures into sea and sky and soil; commissioning the great lights and a new creature – this one, not seen before – to partner in his reign over the heavens and the earth.

On another occasion, the world was once again submerged, as consequence of rebellion.  Once again, God moved to liberate life out of death.  And once again, he began by liberating light: this time, in its full spectrum: red and orange and yellow and green and blue and indigo and violet ... and white: unity in diversity.  The start of another week.  Creation set free to start again.

Today we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus: the Light of the world, who was overwhelmed by darkness, who was imprisoned for three days while the Spirit hovered over the chaos, and who was liberated from his prison by the God’s words: Let the Light come forth!

Let the Light come forth, and let it shine until it fills the entire heavens and earth!

The start of another week.  The starting-point of a freed creation.

That’s the pattern.  That’s what God does.  These are decisive moments in the story.  And one day, Jesus will return: Light will be released, and creation will be free again.

In the meantime, let there be life!  For where there is light, there is life, in its diversity and splendour.