Spotlight
by Jill Lange-Mohr
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‘For God … made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ’ (2 Corinthians 4:6).
Having been an art student and teacher for many years, I have always been impressed by the effect of Rembrandt’s use of the painting technique, chiaroscuro. This is an Italian word meaning a strong contrast of light and shadow. It adds drama and focus to his work. Rembrandt used it to shine a spotlight where he wants you to focus as you view his work. There are many good examples of his paintings that demonstrate this. Two are the very famous The Night Watch and The Descent from the Cross. I encourage you to find these on Google.
Reading these verses from 2 Corinthians 4, we are struck by the imagery and contrasts of light and dark: ‘light of the gospel’, ‘the glory of Christ’, ‘let light shine out of darkness’, ‘has made his light shine in our hearts’ and ‘to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory’.
Just as Rembrandt used chiaroscuro to focus on parts of his work, so also God wants us to think of our before and after. We were in darkness and condemned by our sin, but, by grace, God has saved us, through Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice, for eternal life with him. That is a life in the spotlight.
Dear Heavenly Father, there are times in our life when we want to hide in the darkness. Please give us the courage to embrace the light of the gospel every day. Amen.
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