{"id":317,"date":"2023-02-08T21:12:21","date_gmt":"2023-02-08T21:12:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.valpo.edu\/devotionals\/2023\/02\/07\/light-shows-up\/"},"modified":"2025-08-18T20:18:54","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T20:18:54","slug":"light-shows-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.valpo.edu\/devotionals\/light-shows-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Light Shows Up"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Jesus said, \u201cYou are the light of the world\u2026 In the same way, let your light so shine that others may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.\u201c (Matthew 5:14,16<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a lot of talk about light in the season of Epiphany. We sometimes speak of someone having a realization about something as having \u201can epiphany.\u201d But the fundamental meaning is broader. The word \u201cepiphany\u201c means \u201cto appear.\u201d It comes from a Greek word that is used to describe the appearance of the sun at dawn, as well as that moment when scouts spot the enemy on the battlefield. Even more importantly for the epiphany season, it is used to identify the manifestation of a deity to a worshiper. An \u201cepiphany\u201d is an encounter with God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s what\u2019s in mind when earlier in the Gospel according to Matthew, the account of the beginning of Jesus\u2019 ministry is presented<\/a>. As Jesus is described as moving to Capernaum on the shore of Galilee, Matthew quotes Isaiah 9:2, \u201cThe people who walk in darkness have seen a great light.\u201d Matthew is telling us that there, in the least likely location, and in the least likely way, God has appeared. God has shown up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This epiphany\/revelation is beneficial for us today at Valpo in at least two ways. First, the presence of light is central to the University motto, which quotes Psalm 36<\/a>, \u201cIn your light, we see light.\u201d  Since this is the case, it\u2019s good for us to pay extra attention when light appears in the Bible; it\u2019s an opportunity for us to reflect on our shared mission. Second, it\u2019s because a university is in the wisdom and knowledge business \u2013 sometimes called \u201cenlightenment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These references to light in our academic setting can make us inclined to read the Biblical references to light primarily in terms of intellectual content: ideas, knowledge, wisdom. You know, \u201cthe pursuit of truth.\u201c <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this is not the whole story. In fact, if we pursue this as a whole story, we end up with something distorted and fractioned and primarily individualized. My<\/em> knowledge. My <\/em>wisdom. My <\/em>truth. Matthews\u2019s characterization of Jesus\u2019 epiphany is fuller than that. It is about his presence. It is about God\u2018s presence. It is about Jesus showing up. When Jesus shows up, he brings his whole self \u2013 knowledge, wisdom, truth. But not abstracted truth; rather, it is an embodied truth and, by virtue of embodiment, Jesus\u2019 epiphany \u2013 his light \u2013 is relational<\/em>. It is about being in Capernaum, in relationship to his disciples and now, by virtue of his resurrection and ascension, also in relationship with us who receive his presence through his word and the sacraments which, I believe, embody his presence in simple water, bread and wine which calls together a community of people who in that very community, embody his presence. The body of Christ \u2013 people gathered in the name of Jesus (and therefore in the presence of Jesus) \u2013 embody this presence.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Jesus calls his hearers to let their light shine before others, he is calling them (and us) to be the presence of Jesus through acts of service to those who (as Jesus will declare later in the Gospel according to Matthew) are also signs of Jesus\u2019 presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

From the perspective of Matthew, to be a Beacon is to be Jesus to one another.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This works itself out in all sorts of situations both everyday and heroic, both joyful and grave. Pr. Kate preached a powerful message<\/a> last Sunday morning that told the story of how the gospel song \u201cThis Little Light of Mine\u201d empowered the civil rights movement in the 1960s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let your light so shine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pr. Jim<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rev. James A. Wetzstein<\/a> serves as university pastor at the Chapel of the Resurrection at Valparaiso University and takes turns writing weekly devotions with University Pastor<\/em> Rev. Katherine Museus Dabay.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jesus said, \u201cYou are the light of the world\u2026 In the same way, let your light so shine that others may see your good works and glorify your father in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":531,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[6,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-james-a-wetzstein","category-csl-newsletter-devotionals"],"acf":[],"author_meta":{"display_name":"dev@eridesign.com","author_link":"https:\/\/www.valpo.edu\/devotionals\/author\/deveridesign-com\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.valpo.edu\/devotionals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/02\/Light-shows-up-300x169.webp","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["James A. Wetzstein<\/a>","CSL Newsletter Devotionals<\/a>"],"unlinked":["James A. Wetzstein<\/span>","CSL Newsletter Devotionals<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 4 years ago","modified":"Updated 1 year ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on February 8, 2023","modified":"Updated on August 18, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on February 8, 2023 9:12 pm","modified":"Updated on August 18, 2025 8:18 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.valpo.edu\/devotionals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.valpo.edu\/devotionals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.valpo.edu\/devotionals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.valpo.edu\/devotionals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.valpo.edu\/devotionals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=317"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.valpo.edu\/devotionals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":532,"href":"https:\/\/www.valpo.edu\/devotionals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317\/revisions\/532"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.valpo.edu\/devotionals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.valpo.edu\/devotionals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.valpo.edu\/devotionals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.valpo.edu\/devotionals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}