The Sunday Sermonette – The Lightning Bugs of Life.
As a young boy on warm summer nights, I often stood in Mom and Dad’s backyard at 5204 Greater Avenue in Biloxi, just as twilight draped its lavender veil over the grass. The yard’s old weeping willow greeted me, its wide, knotted trunk holding its long-flowing branches aloft like a leafy canopy. They hovered around me like silent, yellow-green fingers, gently touching my face. I danced with the branches. The smell of Mother’s gardenia bushes filled the air, and the plaintive wail of the Hummingbird’s train whistle sounded far off in the distance.
Then, the evening’s magic unfolded. The ever-growing darkness was suddenly filled with snaps of light—the lightning bugs had come out to play. They were like petite, glowing lanterns, drifting through the warm summer air, as if the stars had grown curious and come down to play with me. Each transient spark was a God-given miracle, instantly blooming and instantly vanishing before my wide, fascinated eyes.
To my inquisitive, overactive mind, lightning bugs were far more than mere insects. It was as if they were miniature glowing creatures from some mythical kingdom whizzing through the willow’s hanging, leafy ropes of green. The bugs filled me with wonder at every blink, and I was mesmerized that such small creatures could create such a beautiful glow. However, even though lightning bugs are enchanting, their light is brief. It flashes, then fades into the darkness. Their little flicker is eye-catching, but can it guide us home? Warm a cold heart? Or save a lost soul? Please remember, it’s a reminder. Not a rescue.
This old world is full of captivating lights. There are the lights of entertainment, the alluring lights of money, popularity, politics, and pleasure. They flash brightly for a season, promising happiness, success, and peace of mind. Yet, when trouble comes calling (And it will), when disease sits heavy at our doorstep, when sin sickens the mind, and when Death thrusts its bony fingers into our lives, those lights blink. They flicker. They vanish. And leave our bodies and souls foundering in darkness.
That is why the words of Jesus—“I am the light of the world”—can shine so powerfully in the darkness of our lives. He did not say, “I am one light among many.” He did not say, “I am a passing glow.” He said, “I AM the light.” In our dark and evil world, Jesus is not a lightning bug flickering momentarily in the darkness. Like a sunrise, He is the eternal light of truth and love. He is the holy light that darkness cannot overcome.
The Book of John 1:5 states: “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” John 8:12 says, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
Darkness is real, but it pales in the light of Jesus Christ! Our wicked world may try, but it cannot snuff out His light. If we are blinded by sin, He reopens our eyes. When the gnawing finger of guilt attacks, Jesus offers forgiveness. Fear may grip us by the throat, but He offers a peace that “passeth all understanding.” And though the grave may look final, take heart! Jesus’ death and resurrection shattered that long ago.
The loving light of Jesus shines in other ways, too. In Matthew 5:14–16, Jesus said to His followers, “You are the light of the world!” Like lightning bugs on a summer’s eve, Christians may seem insignificant in the eyes of the world, but when the light of Christ lives within them, even a small light can brighten a dark place. A Believer’s kind words can light up a lonely heart. Their faithful prayers can shine in a hospital room. As they “do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God,” they become living dashes of light in our depraved world that has lost its way.
So, dear ones, as you face next week, please remember the lightning bugs of my youth. Remember their little glow in the summer twilight. Then remember that your Savior is greater. Jesus is not a flicker. He is the everlasting Light of the world. Stay close to Him. Follow Him. And please don’t let him go. Let Him shine through your words and deeds. Our nights may be dark, but the light and love of Jesus Christ dispel that darkness! May our lives—though small—be steady witnesses to His glory, until the entire world sees that Jesus alone is the light that leads to life and eternal happiness.
Ponder this and go forth.
