“The whole earth is full of his glory.” That song of the seraphim has come to mind almost daily in the last week, as I watch the world turn red and gold.

I remember this day in the woods with a friend as a walk through golden air.

Today is gray and rainy, and I’m reminded again how light can change everything, even when darkness is threatening and clouds hang over us.

Yesterday my almost-three-year-old grandson visited me. He looked around and said, “There are lights shining everywhere.”

Yes, I am a lamp freak. Some women can’t resist a sale on shoes; I like to shop for lamps. The right lighting, in my opinion, can transform a room.

And this is what I want: the glory of the Lord filling my heart-house, shining its light everywhere, transforming me.

This old commandment — to love one another — is the same message you heard before. Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you are also living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.

Love is the basis of so much of Jesus’ teaching. Loving God. Loving one another. Loving even your enemies. But how hard that is to actually live out!

This verse is a comfort to me. It assures me that the Spirit is working in me to banish dark places of my heart, to shine the true Light that transforms me and makes me more and more like Christ Himself.

That is one of the hopes we have as Christians. The Light changes us! We learn to live the truth of Jesus’ commands, especially that all-important-but-really-tough command to love one another.

And as we are changed, the Light shines more brightly, transforms situations and relationships, brings God’s truth to the corner of the world where we spend our days.

Yes, Lord, this is what I want: the darkness disappearing, the true Light shining!

And I believe that verse refers not just to each disciple of Christ, but also to His church as a body. His kingdom is now. His light transforms now. He fills us with His glory and transforms us — and the world around us — with His light, as His church lives the truth of His commandment to love one another.

Scripture: Isaiah 6:3 (NIV); 1 John 1:7-8 (NLT)