Journey to the Cross 
Pause
I want to walk as a child of the light.
I want to follow Jesus.
God set the stars to give light to the world.
The star of my life is Jesus.
In [Christ] there is no darkness at all.
The night and the day are both alike.
The Lamb is the light of the city of God.
Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus.
Kathleen Thomerson in “I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light” (1970)
Listen
You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, so live your life as children of light. Light produces fruit that consists of every sort of goodness, justice, and truth. Therefore, test everything to see what’s pleasing to the Lord, and don’t participate in the unfruitful actions of darkness. Instead, you should reveal the truth about them. It’s embarrassing to even talk about what certain persons do in secret. But everything exposed to the light is revealed by the light. Everything that is revealed by the light is light. Therefore, it says, Wake up, sleeper! Get up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Ephesians 5:8-14
Think
I have a lemon bush that in warm months lives in a pot on my balcony and in chilly seasons sits on a stand in my living room. Despite not having a green thumb, I’ve been determined to help the little fella grow lemons. After two years of hand-pollinating and applying the googled amount of fertilizer, I finally got a harvest! One tiny lemon. Admiring the single growing piece of fruit, I realized that it hangs from the only branch where a sliver of sunlight warms the plant from a nearby window.
As children of God — children of the light — we have the power to help the fruit of goodness, justice, and truth to grow. The more generously we share that light, the more fruit will be grown. Lent is a season of practicing. Imagine how you might shine your God-given light today. Who needs to bask in that warmth? How can you, with the power of Christ’s love within you, fuel goodness and grace today?
Shelli Latham
Pray
Light of the World, thank you for shining your light upon me and within me.
Help me to be a bearer of the light, too.
Show me today how I may nurture the growth of your word, your love, your hopes for the world.
Amen.
Go
May God grant you the perfect darkness
that you may find rest that soothes your creaking soul.
May God grant you the perfect light
that you may see clearly the truths of your life
and the path the Spirit lays before you.
May you cup that light in your very being
firmly enough that it warms your aching bones should you ever feel alone,
gently enough that it seeps between your fingers and out to a yearning world.
