“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, ‘I am the light of the world.  If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.’” John 8:12 (NLT)

Easter is just around the corner and I can’t wait because it is my favorite holiday of the year.  I just love the pink bows and the flowers and the rabbits . . . just kidding!  It’s the CHOCOLATE I love—chocolate bunnies, chocolate eggs, etc.  Seriously, I know a large part of why I love Easter is that the weather is starting to warm up and I will soon be wearing my flip flops again.

This holiday became much more meaningful to me in my mid-twenties when I began going to what is known as an “Easter Sunrise Service”.  How many of you have gone to one of these?  Who in their right mind would get up before the crack of dawn and go somewhere where there’s going to be a bunch of people you have to be nice to that early in the morning?  Normally you’re sitting there freezing because it’s outdoors, trying to sing the wonderful old hymns and pay attention to the message while you’re waiting for the sun to rise.  Sound like fun?  Well, here’s what I love about them, and the real reason I’ve gone:  to see the very instant the sun breaks through over the horizon, flooding its light into the darkness.  That moment is such a beautiful reminder of my rescue from darkness by my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I will never forget the darkness I was in: the feeling of hopelessness as I faced an obsession I could not get control of, the ache of being separated from Him because of my wrong choices, and the misery of believing the lies of the enemy as truth.  Then the Light of the World rescued me from the darkness and I have never been the same.  Jesus is the Light of the World and the hope for each one of us.  You can turn to Him today no matter how great your darkness and He will be “the light that leads to life” in your life.