“That which is of
God is light, and he that receiveth light, and coninueth in God, receiveth more
light, and that light growth brighter until the perfect day”
D&C 50:24
Light is
good, proclaimed the Lord at the creation of the earth. Darkness and evil flee
before it, and beauty and goodness are made visible by light. What a marvellous
thing is light! We find joy in the light that allows us to see the green grass,
the smile of a baby, and the glory of the sunrise and the world around us. We can
also rejoice in the light, as did our first parents, Adam and Eve when they
received of the spiritual light as gospel truths are made known un to us. This
kind of light can help us appreciate goodness, truth, love, happiness and
health. As we continue to seek the light it will bring us closer to the Lord
Jesus, for when we strengthen our
characters when we consciously choose good, rejecting that which leads to
darkness or an absence of the Lord Gods Light.
The
contrast between light and darkness, often portrayed as a contrast between good
and evil, has been frequently illustrated by artists throughout the history of
the world. One of the most effective artistic media for using the beauty of
light is the stained glass window. These artistic creations rose to great
popularity and artistic quality, in religious subject matter, throughout Europe
an England Great Britain
As you
might imagine stepping in to one of these magnificent Gothic cathedrals was
like going from one world in to the other which was exactly the feeling the
builders wanted to portray. Once inside, a person found himself in an
atmosphere of majestic height and glorious light caused by the effects of the
coloured light from the stained glass windows. This effect was carefully planed
by the artist and glazers of that area. Although we see the colours of a
painting or tapestry by the light reflected on the surface, we see stained
glass only when light comes through it. During the day, the window comes alive,
at night it dies away. As the sun moves through the sky, the light intensity in
the cathedral varies, passing clouds and tree shadows cause the windows to
pulsate with moving light. The glass itself with its bubbles, impurities, and
uneven thickness, catches the light and changes it like facets of a diamond.
These windows emphasise the brightness of Christ’s countenance to help us understand
that he is the source of goodness, safety and light for his flock, no matter
the size. We see look upon the light that shines forth from the windows as the
light of Christ shinning down upon us and filling us with the sure knowledge
that he is our master and we are his sheep and that he is the shepherd
carefully leading his sheep, reminding us that he is the only true shepherd and
that he loves us tenderly and completely. Let us remember what the Master says
in John 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me”.
In our
minds we can contrast the picture of the stained glass window and its light
flooding in with the alarming experience of the young fourteen year old Joseph
Smith when he entered the grove to offer up his supplications unto the Lord.
The power of the evil one sought to destroy him as the thick darkness gathered
around the young boy. Nevertheless, after calling upon God with his might and
mind to be delivered from the enemy which held him bound, the young Joseph was
indeed delivered by the greater power of the Lord. As the glorious light of the
presence of the Lord God appeared, the prince of darkness returned to his
benighted realms, for he cannot endure the presence of beings of light for
long. John reminds us that “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1
John 1:5)
Let us
be clear and be assured that the light of our father God and his Son will
triumph over the darkness of the devil. The Lord Saviour, he who is the light
of our world, will return to the earth and a millennial era of peace and light
will arrive with him. However for us the crucial question pertains to our
individual lives now. Are we now choosing light over darkness? Are we choosing
the light of God by our daily choices of good? Let us remember the words of
Alma who taught that “whatsoever is light is good, because it is discernable,
therefore ye must know that it is good” (Alma
The
Latter Day Church of Jesus Christ is that standard and we are its light
bearers, let us not shrink in the face of adversity, but rather let us go
forward with the light of Christ as our banner and let us bring light unto the
darkness wherever it me be found.
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