We Couldn't See Where We Were Going

W

hen I turned the corner onto West Street, I knew something wasn’t right.  Even though I arrived earlier than usual this particular morning, what I saw when I made that left turn gave me an uneasy feeling.  Where there should have been light, there was nothing but darkness.  The lights in the parking lot weren’t working and the buildings all along West Streetshowed no signs of power.  All I saw were large, looming shadows outlined against the morning sky.

After my initial reaction, I parked my car and headed for the office.  Other buildings had power and streetlights in other parts of the campus were working just fine.  Since it was so early in the morning, I assumed the lights would eventually come on and all would be well.  When I entered our building, the usual lights were on in the hallway and the elevators worked.  I went to the second floor, opened the workroom door, flipped the light switch but nothing happened and the copy machine didn’t spring to life when I turned on its switch.  Something definitely was amiss!

I returned to the elevator and took it to the basement where my office was located.  As soon as I exited the elevator, I knew what the problem was. At the end of the corridor the heavy fire doors were closed.  Normally, these remain open unless there is an interruption in power, freeing them from their magnetic moorings and closing them.  I opened one of the doors and all I saw in the hallway before me was total darkness.  The vending machines had no lights and there was an eerie stillness in the corridor. 

One of the other professors met me on the second floor and explained that the physical plant was aware of the problem and was endeavoring to repair it.  At 8:00, students assembled in the darkened hallways, ready to attend their classes.  Without lights, however, it was impossible to hold class.  The small amount of light filtering through the windows was not sufficient for all classes to meet and by mid-morning, officials had cancelled classes for the rest of the day until the problem was resolved.  How ironic! In broad daylight, we couldn’t see where we were going. Without a sustainable, sufficient source of light, it was impossible for us to teach and for the students to learn. 

This is exactly the condition described by the prophet Isaiah.  He looked forward to a time when the Messiah would come and he described it in terms of light and darkness.  In Isaiah 9:2, he writes, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined” The light to which Isaiah refers is the Messiah, Jesus Christ.  Until his coming, man had no hope and lived in the darkness of his own sin and in separation from God. This separation caused man to live in “the land of the shadow of death,” and only through receiving the light could man step out of this darkness and walk with God.

Jesus also spoke about himself in terms of light and darkness and echoed this passage written by Isaiah several hundred years before his coming.  In John 8:12 we read, “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  What a wonderful promise this is for us today.  No longer do we have to walk and live in darkness and separation from God.  Jesus came in order to pay the penalty for man’s sin and to offer him a new life, a life filled with the light of God’s love, mercy, and grace.  Are you walking in this light today?  Can you see where you are going?