Today I felt challenged by the quotation from some writing by Christopher Bamford (whoever he is)...

"The fact that we live our lives as if the Word had not come, and as if we are still in the prison of darkness rather than the freedom of the Light, is an illusion, one which can be overcome"

Quite often I hear people of faith speaking about the deep darkness of the world, that it's getting worse, that 'they' will overcome 'us', and intuitively I feel they are wrong, that if they believe what they claim to believe then, however dark it may seem, the light still shines, hope still exists, good will still overcome evil.

I think this is what Bamford is referring to - albeit I had to read it a few times!

If, as yesterday's reflection led me to ponder, God is in us, that we are ontolgoically not just practically little candles of god-ness  then we cannot be pessimistic, thinking the world is going to hell in a handcart.  Instead we have to do as Jesus told his followers, and let our light shine, right here, right now.

It's a dreich morning here in Glasgow, and I cannot see 'my' magic hills because they are shrouded in cloud.  But they are still there, and so is the hope, love, joy and expectation that arises from being indwelt (indwelled?) by God's living Word.

The prayer from the book:

Great light who shines in the dpeths of all darkenss, may I know you in my life today.  May I be aware of your Light shining in my darkness.  May I live a life in the relaity of what it means that you have come and overcomse the darkness rather than in the illusion of the darkness still having dominion.  Amen.