Reflection of the Son
by
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Imagine stepping outside in the wee hours of the morning. The air is clear and crisp and the cold nibbles at your skin through your freshly pressed shirt. It is dark out, but not too dark. The air is really more of a blue hue, and the plants and trees cast dark blue-black shadows across the cobblestones under your heel. You raise your eyes to find the source of the shadows in that pale blue light, and your eyes widen to find the huge silver-white orb of the moon, hanging low and full just above the horizon. Stars surround the moon, like the tiny points of light from pinholes in a sheet of paper held up to the light. You catch your breath, motionless at the beauty and perfection of that silver light piecing the darkness.
As you stand admiring the beauty of the effects of the moon’s light on the terrain, you suddenly realize that the moon has no light of its own, and that this wonderland of beauty isn’t caused by the light of the moon at all, but by the light of the sun reflecting off of the surface of the moon from far beyond your vision. The thought strikes that this breathtaking display is made possible by the moon being positioned precisely so that its full face is able to reflect the light of the sun. The result of this miraculous coupling of moon positioning with sun radiance is blue light radiating into each crevice of a darkened portion of the earth.
That’s when you realize that half the world at that moment stands in darkness, impenetrable darkness devoid of the light of the sun. Yet because of the moon’s careful positioning, these people who would otherwise be in utter darkness are able to see dimly. They are able to see due to the reflection of the sun off of the surface of the moon.
This simple fact of nature provides staggering insight into the role of a Christian in this fallen world. The God of this world has chosen to provide light to all mankind through His Son, who was crucified and died so that we could be cleansed and made free. For a time the light of Jesus shone directly on this earth, testifying to God’s grace and love, and demonstrating the kind of life God desires from those who love and serve Him. Yet in the same way that Jesus reflected God’s light into the world when He was here, God has chosen that we now reflect Jesus’ light into this fallen world until He returns.
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About the Book
This book examines a simple fact of nature—the way the moon reflects the sun’s light to a darkened world—and draws some staggering insights into the way a Christian is to reflect Jesus Christ to a fallen world. Its chapters are named with simple mnemonic titles to lead readers through foundational principles in a clear and compelling way that can help Christians remain focused on productive steps toward spiritual maturity. In the process, this book reveals some deep spiritual truths and presents them in a way that a child can understand.
About the Author
Todd Coburn is an engineer and teacher who resides in Southern California with his wife and three children. He currently teaches aerospace engineering at California State Polytechnic University Pomona (CPP) and is an engineering consultant part time. Prior to joining CPP, Todd enjoyed a twenty-five-year career at The Boeing Company (formerly McDonnell Douglas), where he was responsible primarily for the strength of aircraft and rocket structures. Todd holds bachelor of science and master of science degrees in mechanical engineering from California State University Long Beach, a master of science in mathematics and a PhD in engineering and applied industrial mathematics from Claremont Graduate University.