St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4, “God made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” When you and I look out into this world we are bothered by the darkness of sin because it reveals just how imperfect everything is. Every day we are fighting the effects of imperfection. Some of us feel our bodies are wearing out. We look at our work environments and see how the boss is demanding more work from us in the same amount of time. We hurt other people with words and actions. We get carried away by greed because we’re not content. We can’t even drive our car down the road without a sign telling us how fast we’re supposed to drive. If we were perfect, we’d never have to worry about it. So all day long this darkness of imperfection is there.

The effect of all this is bad news for us. We get stressed out because we can’t cope with everything. We become jaded or cynical about this world and even each other. We become disillusioned and wonder if the next generation of people will even care. We become depressed or filled with anxiety. It’s dark out there and so many times it’s dark in here—in our hearts.

That’s why we need the light of Christ to shine into us. But have you ever asked yourself why Christ shines with a bright light? I mean, any one of us could get 10 million candle power light and shine brighter than the sun. So what’s the big deal with Jesus? It’s not so much the intensity or the brightness of the light. It’s the source of that light. His bright light comes from his absolute perfection which runs in him and through him and from him. When we call Jesus holy we are saying that there is something about him that makes him stand out from all the others. That’s his perfection.

His perfection is what he gave to us at the cross. Do you want peace from the violence or terror out in the world? Christ gives you his gentle spirit. Do you want a body that won’t wear out? Christ gives you a new and perfect body in the new heavens and new earth. Do you want some hope that the imperfection of this world will one day be gone forever? Christ gives you the promise of eternal life in heaven where there will be no more darkness. Christ’s light doesn’t mean we become perfect in this life. But it does mean that God treats us as though we were perfect. The eternal light of Christ has shined down upon you and now you shine with that light forever.