In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:4-5.

Last night in our Midweek Encounter we talked about Welcoming Prayer. Welcoming God and in turn being welcomed by Him. Have you ever said a word and it sounds stranger every time you say it even though you know what it means? I looked up welcome and several descriptions but I liked this one: adjective: (of a guest or new arrival), received. Our exercise was about giving up control of _____________ and giving it to God…and then the word Welcome. Somehow the two thoughts wouldn’t quite compute for me. In prayer I realized what it would be hard for me to give up control of – was me…how do I welcome that? Last night we talked about Peter walking to Jesus while the storm was raging and this morning I realized my fears are the waves raging around me with the depths of the ocean below me. My trying to be perfect is me trying to control what truly cannot be controlled. This world feels increasingly irrational to me and I cannot control it. I’m trying to tread the raging waters and God is telling me to let go. He has me. He is Life.

Our chapter, Ezra 2, is short and would seemingly be inconsequential to all but scholars who love genealogy – who resettled into Judah. What caught my eye were the descriptors…the men of Bethlehem, the priests, the Levites, the musicians, the gatekeepers of the temple, the temple servants, the temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon. These people and their families braved travel to treacherous places to return to Jerusalem that had been destroyed decades ago. What waters were they treading? Their hope was to return to their land to serve God. That life was the light of all mankind.

All mankind. The people then. The people now. The storms of war raged then; the storms of war are raging now. The rubble and destruction greeted them then. We see rubble and destruction now in cities of our world. Is that life?

The light of all mankind is the love of our Creator God. He is the fixed point in a world of raging water surrounding us and buffeting us. We can no more control the raging water than we can control our own heartbeats. We can trust the One who has us in His Love. He is the light of all mankind that the darkness, that the raging waters cannot overcome.

One of Jesus’ disciples asked Him how could they know the way forward? How can we amidst the turmoils of this world? Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” John 14:6-7. Of a guest or a new arrival…received. When we welcome God into our life and our hearts, it’s like we welcome a new arrival and He brings the light of Life eternal. And guess what? We are received into Life.