Counting the Days: December 14, 2023
Scott Bullard, M.B.A.
Chief of Staff
Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. 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. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.
Reflection
It might seem unusual that thoughts of past summers come to mind in this Advent season when I reflect on John 1:1-8. I recall the joy I felt as a preschool child walking on the beach at night with family and friends. The familiar flash of a lighthouse in the distance was memorizing then and it remained captivating as I grew up. I could not comprehend the source of the light at first because my parents took me to visit the lighthouse in the daytime. I was unable to see the light from the source and was skeptical until we passed by after dark one night. It was the night lightshow that emanated from the lighthouse lens that put everything in perspective for me.
My adult self looks back at how mariners trusted the flash of the light to navigate safely around hazards even though they may have not seen the lighthouse structure. Scripture affirms Jesus as the “Light” and the role John the Baptist played in preparing for the birth of the Savior by telling all about the Light so they might believe (v. 4, 7). Therefore, as we celebrate the birth of Christ in the days ahead, I hope that you receive the light that defies any darkness in your path (v. 5) and share it with everyone as the lighthouse does in all directions. Our role as a beacon aligns well with Methodist University’s mission traditions and educational journey. Also, I suspect John the Baptist and Bishop Francis Asbury would agree.