And the Light Shines in the Darkness

WOW!" That's all I could say in the Sunday morning service when Dr. Musgrave announced that the church had commissioned David Mairs to compose an anthem in honor of my ministry as my retirement gift after serving 23 years on the staff as Parish Visitor! Nothing else could have been more meaningful to me, and I'm still saying, "WOW!"

David then asked me to share some of my favorite Scripture passages with him as a possible inspiration for this anthem to be. After listing approximately 15 of my favorite Scriptures via e-mail, I mentioned that my life-changing introduction to Jesus had been as Light. It was this statement that inspired his creative spirit and resulted in his composition entitled, "Jesus, the Light of the World" so beautifully sung by the Chancel Choir at its premiere performance on Sunday, October 15, 2003.

My intent in this article is to share with you "the story behind this story" that you will be encouraged in your faith journey with our living and loving Lord.

The story begins in 1947 when my family moved to Flint where my father, Grady Stubbs, became an English teacher at General Motors Institute (now Kettering University). Many of his colleagues were active members of the First Presbyterian Church who invited and encouraged our family to attend. Though previously having no church affiliation, my parents accepted this invitation. As a result, my sister Mary and I were baptized by Dr. Ralph Kearns and began to attend Sunday school and to sing in the children's choirs. My parents became active members of the Bishop Class; my mother Evelyn became a leader in the Women's Guild; and my father served as a Deacon, an Elder, and as a volunteer in the church library.

In spite of all this "exposure" to the Christian faith, by the time I was 20 years old and in my Junior year at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, religion was just one of the many separate segments of my very busy life along with family, school, friends, activities, etc. In fact, although outwardly I may have appeared to "have it all together", inwardly I felt torn in a hundred different directions. A perceptive friend suggested that I might enjoy attending a week long interdenominational International Christian Student Conference to be held during the Christmas break that year in Athens, Ohio and that my home church might be willing to sponsor me. Dr. David E. Molyneaux immediately replied to my inquiry with a full scholarship to this conference!

My motives for attending were less than admirable: I thought that going would be a great opportunity to meet some interesting "guys"! The time for the conference finally arrived and hundreds of students from all over the country and the world came together to worship, to hear stimulating speakers, to attend seminars and workshops, and to meet in small groups for Bible study that week. The one part that I intended to skip was the Bible study because learning about ancient religious history wasn't interesting to me and I was sure that it would be boring. However, I decided to try it out once - and amazingly that one hour a day became the most important part of the whole conference as we studied the Book of Matthew together! My sense of excitement and anticipation kept building as we approached the final session on the last day of the conference, January 1,1960. After the class was over, I lingered behind to thank our leader and to tell her how meaningful the study had been to me.

Going to lunch was next on my schedule - and food is very important to me - but I felt a strong inner urging to go somewhere to be alone, so I went to the nearby campus chapel. There to my absolute astonishment I had an experience of Light which I immediately knew was Jesus! Somehow in all of my years of church activities I had totally missed the fact that JESUS is ALIVE! In the presence of this Light, my spirit asked, "What would you have me do, Lord?" The inner answer I received was simply, "Help others." In those few moments in the Light, my life was utterly changed! Jesus became the Lord and center of my life; my inner turmoil was healed; I had new purpose and direction; and all things literally became new!

For a while the "veil" was lifted from my eyes and I could "see" Light in all of creation, and I could "see" that our Living Savior knows and loves each of us as individuals and that, in His grace and mercy, deals with us accordingly. I've always been thankful for Thomas who had to see and touch the Risen Lord in person before he could believe. However, Jesus said to Thomas, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."(John 20:29) Our faith journeys are always "works in process", but some of us, like Thomas and me, need a "jump start" to get going!

Wouldn't it be wonderful if I could tell you that my faith journey from that incredible beginning was all roses and sunshine? However, just like most faith journeys, mine has been filled with challenges as well as opportunities, failures as well as successes, sadness as well as joy, darkness as well as Light. Although there have been other mountain top experiences of grace, there have also been dark valleys, arid deserts, sidetracks, and even a few potholes along the way! But through it all, I've always known to Whom to turn - and I never cease to need our Living Savior's touch of grace, healing, peace, love, joy, forgiveness, and light in my life. "I know not what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future!"

Kitty Throop