Who or what is the Light of the World?

We used a simple illustration with a candle in church yesterday to think about the light of the world.

We lit a candle and encouraged everyone to think about what it means that Jesus is the light of the world (John 8.12).

After considering this, we reminded everyone that Jesus’ disciples are also called the light of the world (Matthew 5.14). All the things that we had just thought about also applied to us as Jesus shines in and through us.

Finally we covered the candle with a container (I said I wanted to protect it because it was precious). As the candle consumed the oxygen, it went out. In the same way that oxygen is the fuel for a flame, God’s presence (the Holy Spirit) is the fuel we need to keep the light of Jesus shining.

I’ve made a short video illustrating this.

So, what does it mean that we are the light of the world?

How will we shine brightly for Jesus?