“Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” – John 3:19-21
Today is a perfect, warm, spring day. It’s almost 70 degrees here, warmer than a typical March day. On such a day, one often notices a wealth of outdoor activity. Instead of empty sidewalks and parked bicycles, lawns and streets are filled with walkers, joggers, bikers, playing children, and even some early spring gardening work.
I always love those first days of spring, when we collectively seem to shake off the chill and darkness of winter to finally enjoy the warmth of the spring sunshine. Living in Atlanta the last few years, I’d forgotten how drastic a change this can be.
This passage seems apropos for today, the first sunny day. It’s as if, in these words, Jesus is calling us out. Like bored children sitting in the darkness of winter, we see the light shining through our window. And then, we hear a knock on our door. “Can you come out and play?” Jesus asks. “C’mon, we’re all having fun out here in the light. Won’t you join us?”
Of course, we can choose to reject the call to “come out and play” in the light of Christ. We can continue living in the darkness of winter, refusing to believe that warmer days have finally arrived. Or, we can accept that call to play, to live, to laugh, to love with the rest of the children of the light.
So what do you say? Will you come out and play with Jesus? Will you feel the warmth of his light? Will you take a walk with him, play some wiffle ball, draw in sidewalk chalk with him? Will you live in the light?
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