According to the creation story in Genesis 1, right at the beginning of the Bible, the first thing God created with his mighty word, was the light. “And God said, ‘Let there be light’, and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light ‘day’, and the darkness he called ‘night’. And there was evening, and there was morning — the first day.” (Gen. 1;3-5, NIV). Thus light plays a special role in the Bible.

This first light was not from our Sun, but light in general, more like in the Big Bang theory. That creation story has a beautiful structure: on the first three days, God creates different realms: on Day 1 light and darkness, on Day 2 the vault of the sky and the ocean below, and on Day 3 God separated the land from the oceans.

On the next three days, God filled each realm accordingly: on Day 4 God created the lights to give order to the light: Sun, Moon and stars and to govern day and night. When this creation story was written down, the neighbouring countries worshipped either the Sun, like in Egypt, or the Moon, like in Mesopotamia, as the highest gods and creators. In contrast, for the Hebrews, Sun and Moon were created themselves, and that not even at the beginning but at stage 4. Then on Day 5, God filled the sky and the oceans with living things, birds and fish, and on Day 6 God filled the land of Earth with animals, and finally, as the crown of creation, humans. Day 7 was then a day of rest, both for the creator and for his humans.

After I wrote about the salt of the earth last week, let’s have a look at the second half of Christ’s affirmation at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5:14-16, we read: “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (NIV)

In John 8:12, Jesus said of himself: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (NIV)

It does not take much to realise that Christ uses the word light metaphorically, not literally. Light is something fascinating if you think of it. The opposite of light, darkness, actually does not exist as its own entity. Darkness is just the absence of light. According to Genesis 1, light is the beginning of everything that was created.

What we call light, the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum, is necessary for life on Earth, as it delivers our primary energy. The light of the Sun, including infrared and ultraviolet, delivers energy to Earth by warming up its crust, the oceans and the atmosphere. Green plants use the light energy to perform photosynthesis, turning carbon dioxide and water into sugars and oxygen. Sugars form more complex carbohydrates such as cellulose and starches, which become the main building blocks for the plant. Those carbohydrates are the primary food for the animals, who eat it for their energy, by “burning” the plant material, which in turn releases carbon dioxide and water, a perfect cycle.

But light is even more than an energy source. Light stands here for understanding in its broadest meaning, like the movement called Enlightenment of the 16th and 17th centuries brought wider understanding after the “dark ages”, which lacked insight.

Light lets us see what might otherwise be hidden from our eyes. After his arrest, Christ said to the high priest that he always worked in bright sight of everyone, and not in secret (John 18:20-21). Christianity is like an open book. There are no secret codes or occult (meaning, hidden) rituals that only insiders are allowed to know. Anybody is allowed to find out what it is about even before joining. Churches, temples and cathedrals are open to all; they can listen to the message, read the Bible, learn about our rituals or sacraments. There is no darkness hiding, or secrecy. There is light on everything. It is like a town built on a hill, in open view.

The same is true for what Christians are called to do in this world. Let everybody see those deeds, Christ says. Where there is darkness, all it takes is light for the darkness to disappear. So let your light shine, he says, just like you would light a lamp. It does not make sense to hide a lamp under a cover, but put it at an exposed location so it can give light to everyone around.

“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds” Jesus says, “and glorify your Father in heaven.” That last part is important. It is not about us who do good deeds, but it is about God. I remember a church slogan a couple of years ago: “God’s Work, Our Hands”.

Since we are saved by grace through our faith in Christ, we do not have to earn our salvation through good deeds. What a revolutionary and freeing thought! We don’t have to do anything. However, Christ invites us to do good anyway, to let others see how wonderful our faith can be.

Charity, or the Latin caritas, is a translation of the Greek word agape --- love. Charity in the Christian sense thus is not a duty, not a burden, not a requirement for salvation. You won’t get points to enter heaven. You won’t balance your sins with good deeds. Charity is just love, motivated by love.

Do what is necessary, not because you have to as a commandment, as a requirement to achieve anything; do it because when you love, you want to reduce the need if you can to pass on the love you have received already. This will bring light into the world. You are the light of the world! What a confidence Christ has in us! He knows we can love when we begin to fathom the love of God, when we are in the light and become light for the world.

In psychology we learn that only people who have experienced true and unconditional love will be able to love others. Ideally we should experience this kind of unconditional love as little children so we learn to trust. However, if our parents or one of them, failed in this, maybe even though they tried, we still can learn love, when we experience the unconditional love of God in Christ. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17; NIV)

Let that sink in. God loves you. He loves you so much that he came as close to us as possible, became human, was willing to suffer unfair treatment and even death, so that we could see light. Christ is the light of the world, and we are called to carry this light on, to make our world a lighter, friendlier and better place for all.