Thought for the Week: The Light

Ian Kirk-Smith reflects on the Divine Spirit

by Ian Kirk-Smith 22nd December 2017

The gospel of St John is concerned with the Divine Spirit becoming visible. This is why the theme of light is so important. It also gives an insight into where the divine can be found. John the Baptist says: ‘There standeth one among you, whom ye know not’, in other words, do not recognise. He is referring to Christ. Even John admits he ‘did not know him’. Does this mean that Christ was such an ordinary person that he went unnoticed? The divine nature of Christ was hidden in the ordinary. In the gospels we are familiar with the images of Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus. The story is set in the humblest of locations – a stable – with the most ordinary people. The Divine Spirit is revealed to us in disguise.