Hymn of Light

Joyous light of glory: of the immortal Father; heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus Christ.

Today you can flip a switch in a dark room and have instant light. For most of history that has not been the case.

Until Thomas Edison and others came up with a way to harness electricity, the only way to have light at night was to make use of that which governs the night from the earliest days of creation or light something up such as a torch, candle, or oil lamp.

We have come to the setting of the sun, and we look to the evening light.

This transition from day into night is the most dramatic and frequent occurrences happening on the planet.

You take it for granted, but it happens because the Creator, Who made all things good, blesses and sustains His creation. All of it. Just as He has done from day to day from the beginning.

That is something worth singing about, and so the Church does.

The Phos Hilaron, or Hymn of Light, happens to be the most ancient hymn currently sung in the Church. It's words are worthy of pondering any time of day or night, for they remind you of the true Source of every blessing, whether it be the seemingly simple things like day turning to night, or that which is yet to be revealed.

At the heart of all light is Christ Jesus, the Light of the World, Whose works on our behalf come down to raise you up and bring you to Himself.

Those works include most specifically His becoming flesh like you, suffering for you, dying for you, rising and ascending for you, and reigning for you so that you may live without fear of death while loving and serving your neighbor.

So, as the days go by, consider the Phos Hilaron carefully and slowly. Like the rhythm between day and night, these words have sounded forth in the conversation between heaven and earth from the most ancient of times.
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