Sir
Christopher Wren designed and built more than 50 church buildings in London
during the late 1600s. His design style had two prominent features—the first of
which was sturdy, tall steeples. The second, however, was more profound. Wren
was convinced that all of the windows in his churches must use clear glass as
opposed to the stained glass so popular in churches of that era. In part, his
reason for the clear glass is found in words attributed to him: “God’s greatest
gift to man is light.” Allowing light to bathe people as they worshiped was, to
Wren, a celebration of that gift.
In the
Genesis account, on the first day of creation God made light (1:3). The light
God created is even more than just a means by which to see. It’s a picture of
what Christ brought when He entered this darkened world. In John 8:12, our Lord
said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in
darkness, but have the light of life.” To the follower of Christ, light is one
of the great reminders of the character of our Savior and the quality of the
life He has given us through His sacrifice on the cross.
Wren was right. God’s greatest gift to man is light—Jesus Christ, the Light of the world!
