Light

What first comes to mind when your hear the word “light?” It could be reduced-fat cream cheese, an 100-pound wrestler, the long summer sunshine in the Pacific Northwest, the lamp you read by or the flashlight that gets you to the bathroom from your campsite at night.

What do you know about light as a natural phenomenon? Did you study physics or general science in high school or college? What do you know about the sun and stars as light-producing things? Why can we see in the daytime but not as well as night? Why can certain animals see well at night (like the owl)? Do you know why the sky is blue? Talk to your partners about your knowledge of how light works.

What kinds of light devices or sources are inventions of humans? Give examples and any history that you are familiar with.

How do you feel about night? Do you feel differently when it’s light or dark outside? How? Have you ever been afraid of the dark? What are some interesting or unusual kinds of light sources you’ve seen or used in your lifetime from childhood until now? Do you wear sunglasses often or can you handle a lot of sunlight?

Artists and home decorators know how to use light and dark in their crafts. Can you explain how an artist might use light and dark? How about a home decorator? How do light and dark shades of color, or paint on the wall, affect the feeling of a certain room? Do you like a room that is bright? Or do you like soft, less bright light? What are your light preferences? Think of candles, various kinds of lamps, skylights etc.

Although night and day are both good, we often use day and night, light and dark as symbols of spiritual or philosophical ideas. Do you use light and dark this way? Can you think of any idioms or expressions in your native culture where light and dark are used as symbols? Do day and night have symbolic meaning to you? Give examples.

Here are a few examples of how light is talked about in the Bible:

“In the beginning, God created heaven and earth. . . . God said, ‘Let there be light!’ So there was light.” Genesis 1:1,3

A poet speaks to God – “If I say, ‘Let the darkness hide me and let the light around me turn into night,’ even the darkness is not dark for you. Night is as bright as day.” Psalm 139:11-12.

Jesus says, “I am the light that has come into the world so that everyone who believes in me will not live in the dark.” John 12:46

Jesus says, “The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness.” Matth 6:22-23

*** Do you enjoy any of these quotes? If so, pick one and explain why you enjoy it.