Exactly 105 years ago, a new kind of
light appeared.
In December 1910, a French inventor
put neon gas into a sealed tube and then added an electrical current. It was
the first neon lamp, and it must have been breathtaking, captivating and
completely engrossing! The word neon
came from the Greek word neos, meaning
“the new gas.”
This invention began a new era in
lighting — and in advertising. People would stop and stare at these signs that
were visible even in daylight and that were given the nickname “liquid fire.”1
Can you imagine a major city today
without neon lights? Times Square would simply not be the Times
Square we know and love. The sign for Wrigley Field in Chicago would be easy to
miss. Las Vegas
would be much less tacky.
So, maybe neon lighting is not such a great thing — at least not in
Las Vegas. But God offers a lighting system that has been pushing back the
darkness for a very long time. On the first day of creation, Genesis tells us
that “the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep.”
In the face of that deep and disorderly darkness, God spoke a word. God said, “Let
there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and God
separated the light from the darkness.2
The very same thing happens today.
In places of deep darkness, God says, “Let there be light.” And there is light.
Our present darkness
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