Series: Committed 
Message: Authenticity 
Preacher: Japhet De Oliveira

Refresh: Open with prayer. Read or listen to Psalm 62:9-12.

Read: John 8:12-30 (ESV). As you read, note 1-3 insights or questions. 

Reflect: One of the many things I notice as I get older is the gradual yet steady decay of my body. I know this comes as a shock to most of you, since you believe that with enough care, decay can be prevented. Sadly, it can only be delayed—but of course that in itself is worth all the effort we make to keep ourselves healthy during our short lives of continual transformation. I don’t want to sound too morbid, but the reality that we are all slowly dying was the center of our family conversation around dinner one evening last week. Are we really dying from the very moment we are born? Or do only start to die once we pass the magical age of 18 or 21 or whatever age we consider to be the prime of life? You might remember the controversial (and banned) TV advertisement by XBox in 2009 called “Life is short,” with an appeal at the end to “play more” because life is short. Are we afraid of the reality of death?
“New light” can be incredibly controversial and challenging. When I look at my phone in the middle of the night, I can only use my left eye to read the screen. The light is too bright for my eyes—accustomed to darkness—to handle. Imagine those who believed centuries ago that the world was flat. Imagine those not so long ago who believed that black people were inferior or that women were not equal to men. When truth is presented, it can be overwhelming to process. Light has the power to transform space. To transform perspectives. To bring joy. To elevate our experiences. Yet, all of these processes are difficult, even painful.  
When Jesus declared Himself “the light of the world,” that sentence alone was deeply controversial. It challenged everything his listeners understood. It was a Messianic identifier. 
The recalibrate questions for today come from N. T. Wright’s commentary, John for Everyone (p. 117).

Recalibrate: ​ 

1. Are you ever tempted to reject the light? 
2. As you read John 8, do you find yourself siding at all with the Pharisees? 
3. Have we perhaps allowed ourselves to forget just how deep the darkness goes within each of us, not least when we are called to be God’s people for the world but decide to turn this calling into a privilege for ourselves?

Respond: Pray for the strength to embrace “new light.”the strength to embrace “new light.”.

Research: What is the speed of light? Think of a way to illustrate that law in relation to our ability to process truth.