"Shine the Light" delivered by Rev Mark Lenneville
Springfield Community Christian Church
March 11, 2018
John 3:19ff,
Shine the Light Rev. Mark Lenneville
I.
Passage:
A. So a bit of historical context before I read
the Wisdom lesson:
a.
The
Gospel of John was probably written in, or around, or during, the years 90-120
AD. This was right after or during the reigns of some fairly notorious Roman
rulers… Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian… (all REALLY
bad people, cruel and sadistic and in some cases, clearly, mentally ill)….
Christianity was forced to become an underground movement.
b.
During
this time, 90-120AD…Christianity was often viewed as being a part of Judaism,
and yet, it was universally regarded as a heretical sect, at least by the Jews.
c.
Importantly,
at least in the eyes of these Roman rulers, Christianity was viewed as a threat
to the Roman government and Roman society. History is replete with stories of
early Christians being tortured, thrown to lions for sport, and crucified.
d.
More
than likely, by the time the Gospel of John was written, early believers had
been forced underground and it was dangerous to lay claim to being a Christian.
There were secret meetings, vocabulary, gestures, and symbols. Christianity was
practiced in the shadows… in secret. People were afraid for their lives, their
family member’s lives, and livelihoods. When the Gospel of John was probably
written, it was a dangerous time to be a Christian. Both the Romans and the
Jews wanted to identify “believers” and eradicate early followers of Jesus.
B.
So… even
though the Wisdom lesson literarily appears early in Jesus ministry and early
in the Gospel, the passage was probably penned during this time of oppression. I
think that it is important to realize that when John places this Wisdom saying
on Jesus lips, it was a bold and even radical statement about this new faith
and how it should be practiced. It was a radical call to discipleship….to not
do things in secret… and to not be afraid of the light of public scrutiny about
what these early Christians believed and did… even in the face of overt,
aggressive and hostile activity by rulers and others in the society.
a.
It certainly
was a radical and probably controversial idea that nothing is or should be
hidden and that these early ideas, actions and beliefs could withstand the
light of day and full public transparency. Early believers would have serious
push-back, I am sure.
b.
The
Wisdom saying for today is a clear call for followers to be bold... to claim
the Truth (with a capital T)… and not be afraid of making public the claims of
this nascent faith.
C.
According to the Gospel of John, Jesus was speaking to a Pharisee… a man named Nicodemus. Nicodemus was
a member of the Jewish ruling council. Jesus told him about being born again; about
being in the Spirit and not the flesh. He spoke of heavenly things and in the
passages that come just prior to our Wisdom Lesson, we have the famous saying… “God
so loved the world that he gave his only son that who so ever believes in him
shall have eternal life.” These passages in John are fundamental teachings of
Christianity, perhaps from Jesus Himself, but most certainly from his followers…
the ideas and sayings all of which found their way into the orthodoxy of
Christianity.
D. Of importance, once you read these familiar passages,
is what Jesus concludes his teaching with… his comment that sums things up. I
think that these few passages found in John 3: 19 and following are important
because they provide a valuable context for what developed into Christian
orthodoxy.
a.
Jesus
concludes his comments to Nicodemus with this summation:
E.
[SLIDE #1] John
3:19 “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved
darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone
who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that
their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the
truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have
done has been done in the sight of God.”
II.
Intro
A. Have you ever walked into a totally dark
room where you can’t even see the hand in from of your face? But, after a
while, and as your eyes adjust, you start to see things in the room a bit more
clearly. Perhaps not with absolute clarity, but you can pick out objects or
people. And after a short while, things in that dark space become much clearer
and you can actually move around and do things, perhaps even read some words,
but certainly, somewhat see things.
B.
When I was in the parish, we had an evening worship service,
during Lent, (today is the 4th Sunday in Lent) and I turned out all
the lights. We were in total darkness. Initially, we couldn’t see our hands in
front of our faces. After spending time in this dark room, however, we could
function fairly well. We could eventually discern things and people and we
could even make our way around the sanctuary. Ushers could navigate up and down
the aisles, the choir could see the choir director and the organist could “see”
the keyboard and play some soft music. We sat quietly for a few minutes,
letting our eyes adjust.
C.
As our eyes adjusted to the darkness, I talked about being in
the darkness and how, over time, we often become accustomed to being in the
dark. I recall telling the congregation that after a while, it becomes our new
“normal.” Sure, enough, that’s what happened. We could see, albeit not very
clearly, but we could see.
D. Then, dramatically and without notice, I
turned all the lights on. People covered their eyes. Many groaned and winced. In a flash, things that were not very clear
or totally visible, were now, very easy to see. There were a few minutes of
adjustment and in some cases, discomfort, but for the most part, people
adjusted.
E. I had three observations that I shared with
the congregation: First, it was interesting how we could get used to being in
the dark and how those shadows became “normal” and at a level, even comfortable.
We accepted the diminished light, the shadows, and the lack of clarity. We could function, we adapted and adjusted.
In fact, we might, had we had enough time, even started to believe that this
darkness, with its grays and shadows were the way things were supposed to be.
Secondly, when the lights came on, there was an initial period of discomfort. Thirdly,
it took a bit of time to readjust our sight and our perspective but in the end,
most people preferred living in the light and not in the darkness.
III.
Our government today seems to enjoy “living” in the dark and often
operating in the dark. We often hear about what the President is thinking…in
his distorted reality.. in this “dark” place… through his Tweets, attempts to
cast blame, offer alternative facts, and make outright lies. When the light
shines in the darkness, as of yet, he, his administration and the Republican
Party, still seem to prefer the darkness to the light and seem to obfuscate
reality by creating confusion and distortion.
A. Of late, apparently those in power, have
felt it is within their purview to ignore the Sunshine Law of 1976 which
reinforces the need for transparency. This is a law intended to make sure that
light shines on all government transactions. There have been many recent notable
occurrences of ignoring this law or intentionally keeping the public in the
dark. Here are some events… just to refresh your memory:
1.
The
President has contacted Putin at least 8 times. Our media, and therefore the
American public, only heard about these phone calls and meetings through the
Russian Press, because our citizens were not told of the meetings or the
context or content of the discussions. This is not transparency. This is
darkness.
2.
Recall Glen
Simpson? He is the owner of Fusion GPS, a political research firm. He testified
for 21hrs before three Congressional Committees about “The Dossier” penned by
Christopher Steele, a former British Intel officer specializing on Russia. The
contents of the testimony only came out and into the light because Senator
Diane Feinstein preempted her committee and released the transcript. Her Senate
Republicans refused to release the transcript despite the fact that Simpson and
the Dems asked that the testimony be released. What were the Republicans
wanting to hide? Why did they want to keep the pubic in the dark? Was it, as
the Wisdom lesson suggests, to create a
cover for their evil deeds? Fortunately, Senator Feinstein understands what
shining light in the darkness means.
3.
Let’s not forget about
the Tax Cuts and Jobs
Act of 2017? This whole process seems so long ago but it was only in
December when all of this drama unfolded. This whole process of sculpting this important
legislation was done behind closed doors…no DEMS or public comments or
testimony or input. The vote to enact this massive and consequential
legislation passed along party lines, 51 to 48, with virtually no time for
full-reading, debate or discussion… and was only able to pass because of a
change in the Senate rules allowing for a simple majority and not a super
majority. Where was the transparency?? Why did they feel it was good to sculpt
this massive legislation in the dark and keep it hidden until just hours before
the vote? Has darkness become the new normal?
4.
What
about all the “Repeal and Replace of the Affordable Care Act” meetings? The
DEMS were shut out. No public comment, expert witnesses or input. Fortunately,
this did not pass muster. Why the secrecy? Why the darkness?
5.
This
short list does not even address the dozens of instances when Trump or an
Administration official is caught lying or having lied and it wasn’t made
public until the light shown on their lies. Thanks to the Free Press, the
Sunshine Law, and some people of conscience, we seem to get the information,
albeit is dribble and dabs.
6.
Take a
moment and think about … Pence, Sessions, Flynn, Papadopoulos, Nunes, Sanders,
Spicer, Bannon, Price, Priebus, Gorka, Conway, Kelly and Cohen… to only name a
few…and the list goes on, of people in our government caught in lies and “spin,” seemingly intent of coving up their actions
and deeds in a cloud of darkness. And the POTUS seems to live in darkness… his
alleged affairs, secret payoffs to keep silent, unreleased tax returns, secret
business dealings, scape-goating, bullying and taunting, posturing and more…all
point to his desire to work and live in pervasive darkness.
1.
I am
struck by what Steve Bannon said, [SLIDE
#2]“Darkness
is good. Dick Cheney. Darth Vader. Satan. That's power!” And I suppose that if
you are into power, then darkness, obfuscation, opaqueness, confusion are key
elements. Certainly, in my view, this is
NOT what our Founding Fathers would have wanted.
a.
[SLIDE
#3] When our country was being born and
when the Founders put together the Constitution, The “Federalist Papers” were
written specifically as “talking points” and commentary and arguments as to the
reasoning and rationale for including one idea over another. Even though the
initial specific language of the Constitution was done in secret, The Federalist
Papers revealed what was written and why it was written.
b.
Federalist No. 49 said, [SLIDE #4] 'the
people are the only legitimate foundation of power, and it is from them that
the constitutional charter ... is derived.' Government is and should be the
servant of the people, and it should be fully accountable to them for the
actions which it supposedly takes on their behalf."
c.
IOW, in order for our form of government to function the way
that it is supposed to function, the governed must be able to see what those
who govern are doing and know the reasons why they are doing and saying those
things that are said and done. The citizenry is not to be left in the dark and
the government actions are supposed to be out in the open and subject to the
light of scrutiny.
B.
And why is this?
a.
When the light shines in dark places and on dark actions…
there is Truth, there is reality, and there are no alternative facts or fake
news. To live in the darkness distorts
reality, shades the truth, corrupts the facts, and hides the actions and
intentions.
b.
As Jesus admonished early followers… and as his words
challenge us even today…we should not be afraid of the light. We need to come
out of the dark. We need to not hide what we do or what we say or what we
believe. What Jesus said and did was not evil, (although some like those in the
government, in religious and in societal leadership, thought it was.) What
Jesus did… feeding the sick, clothing the naked, being with those in prison and
those who were oppressed or on the margins, he loved the unlovable, welcomed
the stranger, he was kind and generous and caring… all of which could stand up
to scrutiny, which, BTW, it has for 2k years. There was and is no current need
for Jesus’ story, His actions or His words, to be hidden away or in the dark.
They can and should come out into the light for they are not evil but good. Let the light shine and do not be afraid or
keep it hidden away. Ahh, if only this
was the mindset of current politicos!!
IV.
Now frankly,
it is easy… and at a level… even seductive, and certainly compelling… to point
the finger at others, especially our current government, and those who live in
the public arena, those in Hollywood, business and in religious organizations…to
call them out…to shine light on their misdeeds, to point out the darkness in
which they live, to watch them squirm, to listen to the late night TV hosts
make fun of them and their fear of the light and exposure. ….. And yet, when it
comes to shining light in our own darkness, perhaps we are not as ready to turn
on the light. Who here enjoys mucking around in the deepest, darkest, most
secret places of your inner psyche… those often hidden places in our past?
A. Like Dr. Ray, I have a background in
counseling and was a licensed marriage and family therapist for a number of
years. I recall one young lady who came
into my office and said that she was very sad, all the time, and couldn’t seem
to shake it. She said, “All I want to be is to be happy again.” She asked me to
help her to “feel happy.” I told her that in order to do this, we might need to
take a look at, what Freud labeled as, the inner world of her sub-conscious and
unconscious.
a.
Typically,
most people are initially very willing to “go deep” until they actually do
“go deep.” Within a matter of weeks most folks find all sorts of reasons to not
come back for appointments or to be honest with their feelings, thoughts and
actions.
b.
But this
gal was different. She went deep. Brought out into the light, during our time
together, were early childhood sexual abuse and later young adult sexual
exploitation. She had buried these traumas to her body and psyche in the deep
and dark recesses of her mind. This allowed her to not have to recall them, or
for that matter, deal with them. And although this revelation of her hidden
past, which certainly pre-dated the #METOO Movement, clearly revealed these
past traumas and had a huge and pervasive impact on this young woman’s life and
relationships. It took a long while, but by shining light into that darkness,
this woman was able to heal and find the happiness and joy she sought. Shining
light into the darkness was hard but worth it.
1. At
a level, this is what therapy and counseling are all about…shining light into
the darkness.
2. I
marvel at those people who willingly and knowingly dive into their own darkness
and shine light in those dark corners and expose those experiences of
alienation from self and others.
B.
It takes
real courage to shine light into the darkness…both personal and corporate. This
is what Jesus was talking about…. Not being afraid to shine line in the
darkness and having the courage to shine a light into the darkness. Others have
said similar things:
a.
C.G. Jung said, [SLIDE #5] “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by
making the darkness conscious. The latter procedure, (making darkness conscious)
however, is disagreeable and therefore not popular.” He also
said, [SLIDE #6] “Knowing your own
darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people.”
b.
Lao Tzu,
founder of Taoism, said, [SLIDE #7] “Knowing
others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment.
c.
And the
Buddha is purported to have said, [SLIDE
#8] “To
enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to
all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind. If a person can
control the mind he or she can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom
and virtue will naturally come to him.
d.
Many of you have heard of
Kevin Bacon. He is an actor and musician and starred in Footloose, Apollo 13,
Flatliners and Mystic River and many other films. You wouldn’t expect him to be
a philosopher, but I have found that many creative people dive deep into their
own darkness and often emerge with some wonderful insight.
1.
This is what Kevin Bacon
has to say about darkness: [SLIDE #9] “I
really believe that all of us have a lot of darkness in our souls. Anger, rage,
fear, sadness. I don't think that's only reserved for people who have horrible
upbringings. I think it really exists and is part of the human condition. I
think, in the course of your life you figure out ways to deal with that.”
C.
How many
of us willingly and consciously deal with the stuff that finds a comfortable living
place in the private, secret and occasionally threatening places of our inner
selves, that rarely, if ever sees the light of day? How many of us are afraid
of the light being shown into our own inner darkness.
D. For many of us, it is because of what Jesus
had to say in John 3:19... we’re afraid on the light shining on our evil deeds.
Or perhaps, and more likely… we are afraid of being judged, or that we might
need to change, or apologize, or be honest, or deal with the circumstances of
our past or the consequences of our present thinking and actions. Perhaps it is
not because our deeds are or were necessarily evil, even though evil deeds
might give us a clue that there is something deep down there in our inner
darkness, but because, by going into our dark places, it might uncover that
which has been buried or hidden or suppressed or for which we might be ashamed
or feel guilty. Perhaps we might need to re-frame our reality and be honest
about who we are or what we have become. Or perhaps we might have to deal with
the lies others have told us about ourselves that have been hurtful or
destructive and that we have come to believe are true about ourselves. Regardless,
wandering into our own dark places, shining light in the darkness, being open
and transparent…all demand courage. We, as people of faith, are called to have
courage. We are called to be in the light and shine light in the darkness.
V.
Soooo…
what is in your dark place? If Kevin Bacon is correct… all of us have dark
places. If this is true, then my bet is that all of us have those parts of our
inner self that could benefit from exposure to the light. It might be hard. It
might be dangerous, but perhaps it is necessary. It is necessary to grow. It is
necessary to not be afraid.
A. Mother Teresa said, [SLIDE #10] “Honesty and
transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway.”
B.
Now, I
am NOT asking that you share your darkness with the congregation…right now. Perhaps you are depressed, resentful, feeling rage, or anger
or fear of failing. There might be something in the dark recesses of your soul
that is causing these feelings. Perhaps you might feel unimportant, small or
“less than,” inadequate, or ugly. Perhaps you might feel a need to be
controlling. Perhaps you are bitter, shame-filled, or feeling guilty. Perhaps
you listen to your Internal Criticizer that constantly tells you that you are
no damn good, you are not important or you are worthless.… and you have
replaced our Internal Critic with your Internal Criticizer. Perhaps you have addictions, compulsions,
obsessions, PTSD, suicidal thoughts, sorrow, loneliness, grief, despair…
Whatever it is, these might indicate that you are laboring in the darkness. By
laboring in this darkness it is keeping you from being happy, joy-filled, peaceful
and healthy.
C.
Frankly,
some people enjoy the darkness. They enjoy living in darkness and they enjoy
spreading the darkness wherever they go. You might know people like this. Perhaps they get some feeling of power and
control. Perhaps they have found that
the darkness has become normal for them and the fear of the light is so great
that it will expose who they really are and as a result others won’t like them
or love them. They grow accustomed to
being in the darkness. They like it and they wallow in it. In the end, however, living in the darkness and
with the darkness, only deepens the darkness and pushes others away and causes
divisiveness and hostility towards others and towards self.
1.
This
saying is often mistakenly attributed to Plato though we don’t know who
originally said it, still: very insightful, [SLIDE
#11] “We can easily forgive a child
who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when adults are afraid
of the light.” How many of us are willing and perhaps…brave enough… to turn on
the light and expose the darkness in our own lives? We do it readily to others,
but what about ourselves?
2.
Muhammad
Ali, that charismatic prize fighter and cultural critic said, [SLIDE #12] “A rooster crows only
when it sees the light. Put him in the dark and he'll never crow. I have seen
the light and I'm crowing.” Is this you??
VI.
Conclusion:
1.
The challenge this week is to lobby and be active in
demanding government transparency. ALSO, and perhaps more importantly… take
time and shine light on the darkness in your own thinking. The discovery of the
true self demands transparency and light being shown into our internal darkness,
so that we can move towards wholeness and healthiness.
2.
Whether it was Eleanor Roosevelt, Confucius, or John F. Kennedy who said it, I don’t know for sure. But the
saying is right on the money for our government and ourselves. [SLIDE #13] “It is better to light a candle than curse the
darkness.” Have courage. Light the candle. Shine light into that darkness. click here to see the video
