Last Saturday, we went to an excellent event in the Usher Hall - Light of the World run by Origin Scotland, featuring the Exile orchestra and singers and the children of St Peter's Primary School. The music was superb, the singing excellent. The children sang a fantastic song - 'the hippo song' - all about wanting a hippopotamus for Christmas! It was a real uplift to the soul to be there and celebrate Christmas early and well.
Dominic Smart, from Aberdeen, did the epilogue. He took the theme of Light of the World and helped us to think about light and darkness as the Bible understands these concepts, reminding us that the darkness is not only in the world around us but is also inside us; we are the darkness at times, by our faults and misdeeds.
From all of this, one simple thought. The light of the world is not a philosophical concept. The light of the world is not a code of behaviour. The light of the world is not a book to read. The light of the world is a person - Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Light of the world. He came to deal with the sin of the world and the sin inside us. Christmas is not about concepts; Christmas is about welcoming a person into the world.
Reflect on the words of the song we will sing on Sunday as our gathering song and sing it well when you come to Church:
Light of the world,
You step down into darkness.
Opened my eyes let me see.
Beauty that made this heart adore you
Hope of a life spent with you.
And here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that you're my God,
You're altogether lovely,
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me.
King of all days,
Oh so highly exalted
Glorious in heaven above.
Humbly you came to the earth you created.
All for love's sake became poor.
Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that you're my God,
You're altogether lovely,
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me.
I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.
I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.
Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that you're my God,
You're altogether lovely,
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me.
Tim Hughes; ©2001 Thankyou Music; CCL Licence no 1287
