“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you.”
“What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”
The Bible contains countless references to divine light such as these from Isaiah and John. The light shining in the darkness is real. I have seen it twice in the most extraordinary manner.
Both incidents happened when I lived in New York. The first one was in the Times Square subway station at night. Besides me, there was only one other person there. A blind old man walked through singing opera. All around him was a circle of light. I think it was about 25 feet. The divine light protected him on every side.
Like the blind man surrounded by light, I did not fear the subway. I have a strong sense of God’s protection, having learned it from the dangers of New York. Many people are finding the same faith from the dangers of the world now. The only way we will get through is with God’s protection. And with the faith that God has promised, not only in the Bible but also in other traditions, that in the end, good will triumph over evil.
I believe that a great spiritual revolution is taking place. I believe that more and more people will come to see that light overcomes darkness. As strange things happen to threaten our life and all creation on Earth, we will see those things overcome by light. No wonder one of the first modern spiritual revolutions was called The Enlightenment.
The prophet Isaiah got it right:
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you.
For behold, darkness covers the land; deep gloom enshrouds the peoples.
But over you the Lord will rise. and his glory will appear on you.
Nations will stream to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawning.
I mentioned above that I have two stories about divine light that happened in New York. The second one is amazing to an infinite degree. I have told it for 44 years never varying the details. It is true.
I was a starving artist and crippled with arthritis. One pleasure was to eat a brown bag lunch in the beautiful atrium of the Citicorp building. I wish more buildings had such beautiful inviting spots within them.
After my lunch one day, I went down the escalator to the restroom. As was my wont, and the wont of many others with arthritis, I took a few puffs from my pipe. I heard the jangling of keys and a female voice saying, “We’ve never had this before.” A janitorial worker and a policewoman knocked on the door of my stall and ordered me to come out.
I very slowly gathered my things and opened the door. A great light came and knocked them back. They looked like the shepherds when the angel announced the birth of Christ, as portrayed in paintings. Their hands were raised in astonishment.
Without a second’s pause, but still slowly, I walked right through them and out the door. My heart was in my throat as I rode the escalator to escape from the building. When I reached the street, my knees shook so uncontrollably that I almost collapsed.
God allowed me that day to get back to my cats and my poor struggling life of a starving artist. I could not have borne deserting my cats. I have experienced countless miracles that have allowed me finally to thrive, but there has never been one as huge as this one where God’s light knocked back the people trying to arrest me.
Jesus says in Matthew, “You are the light of the world.” Evil does not know the light. Let us all let our light shine. Let us all shine with love. God’s light reflected in us will save the world, and it will happen soon.
• Page Bridges is a member of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. “Living and Growing” is a weekly column written by different authors and submitted by local clergy and spiritual leaders. It appears every Saturday on the Juneau Empire’s Faith page.
