Letter from Jon, March 2023 

 “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12
 
Dear Friends
 
Last week Fiona and I had the privilege of spending a couple of days in Kinloch Rannoch, somewhere we had never been before, and if you have ever been that way you will know how beautiful it is - we live in such a beautiful country.  Anyway, whilst there we visited a photography gallery (www.rannochshed.co.uk - worth a look!) and got chatting with the photographer, Ian Biggs, who had taken some awe-inspiring images of the local landscape.  His ability to capture light and to see beauty in things most of us might overlook was quite stunning.  He showed us some photos he taken one morning of Schiehallion, the mountain that dominates the local landscape, and described how he had captured the photos, waiting for the right weather conditions, climbing a hill EARLY in the morning as dawn was breaking, setting up his camera and waiting for a moment that might literally be that, a moment in time that he could capture.  On that particular morning he was rewarded with an ‘inversion’, where the cloud hung low over the valley and left the mountain top exposed as the sun rose.  His photos of that moment are quite awe inspiring.
 
I admit that I am not a good photographer, but I have such an admiration for people who are, who can see and capture light so beautifully, whether a portrait or a landscape.  What I realised though, having spoken to Ian last week, was that in order to be rewarded with such beautiful images, often takes a lot of effort, a dedication to getting up early in the hope that one day, one moment, something breath-taking might happen, something that can be captured and which all those who see the photo will benefit from.
 
I realise that around about us there is a lot of darkness in our world, and perhaps right now in your world, but I also realise there can be unspeakably beautiful light in the midst of the darkest, cloudiest days.  Sometimes it takes effort to see it, but I know that the more we follow Jesus, the ‘light of the world’, the more we give ourselves to seeking him, the more we set our lives on a pathway towards him, then the more we will become aware of light breaking through.  I believe the light of Jesus shines in some of the most ordinary moments of our ‘frontline’ lives, perhaps in a conversation with a friend or a stranger, perhaps in the weariness of looking after family, of serving others, in a time of silent prayer or even round the dinner table.
 
My prayer for you, for us all, is that as we fix our eyes on Jesus we would experience moments of wonder, where the light of life breaks through.  I pray that we would be surprised by glorious light even in the darkest of days.  I pray that these moments that we capture would not only be a blessing to us, but would give us opportunity to share the ‘light of the world’ with those around us.
 
God bless you and keep you.
 
Love
 
Jon