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[0:00] A Pastor's Reflections, Partakers of Light. Exodus 27, 20-21 And thou shalt command the children of Israel,! that they bring thee pure olive oil, beaten for the light,! to cause the lamp to burn always.

[0:17] It shall be a statute forever, under their generations, on the behalf of the children of Israel. Psalms 119.93 I will never forget thy precepts.

[0:30] For with them thou hast quickened me. Psalm 119.105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Israel was to ensure that from generation to generation there would always be a source of light in the tabernacle of the Lord.

[0:50] God, who miraculously displayed himself to Israel as a pillar of fire, could have very easily himself kept the lamps lit in the tabernacle. God wanted to represent to Israel the constancy of his light in their lives, but he also wanted Israel to understand that the light was not for God, but for them.

[1:25] 1 John 1.5 God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. God does not need light. He is light. It is man who experiences darkness, and it is man who needs light.

[1:39] John 1.4-5 In him was life, and the life was the light of men, and the light shines in the darkness. God is the source of light in the lives of men, a light that penetrates man's spiritual darkness and gives light to his understanding.

[1:56] Any who would respond to that light would then have the ability to walk in the life and will of God. Psalms 119.130 The entrance of thy words gives light.

[2:12] It gives understanding to the simple. God has today given us a source of light, and yet from generation to generation, it is still upon mankind to choose to be a part of partaking in God's light.

[2:28] God could have chosen to miraculously shine his light into people's hearts, but he instead gives each and every person the choice of whether they will partake in light or not.

[2:40] Today, the choice is the same for us as it was for Israel. Will we partake in the light of God? The light that God gives is not for himself, but for us.

[2:54] Not only can we partake in light, but we can also partake in being a source of God's light for others as well. 2 Corinthians 4.6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

[3:19] Father, thank you for allowing us to partake in light, and thank you that we can also be a part of the process of shining your light in this world. Help us to first partake of the source, your word, and then to go out and shine that word all around.

[3:38]  Amen.