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History and Religion
Light the World!

Light the World!

Last updated on: December 5, 2024 at 11:23 am by Dan Peterson

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Light the World! 2024-12-05T11:23:11-07:00 Dan Peterson

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Making a donation through a Giving Machine in Atlanta, Georgia, in December 2022

In my opinion, Giving Machines definitely represent one of the most brilliant ideas that I’ve ever encountered with regard to Christmas. They are a fun way to focus on giving during this season, rather than only on eating, drinking, and getting. They are convenient, and fun for children. They offer small and reasonable but specific things to give, both locally and internationally, and all processing or overhead costs are covered by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Which means that every cent that you give to buy a goat for a poor family, or a sweater, or some seeds, will go for that goat or sweater or those seeds. Every cent.

I encourage any readers that I may have here to participate in this campaign. I intend to do so myself, and I’m looking forward to taking my little local granddaughter to do so, as well, so that she can experience an essential part of the Christmas holiday, the joy of giving.

Here is an excellent site about Giving Machines that identifies locations and that also tells you how to donate online: “Share Your Light at a Giving Machine: Give clean water, goats, meals, toys, and more to those in need through a unique giving experience. Your donations go directly to global and local charities to help change lives around the world.”

And here are a few other articles about the Giving Machines that I’ve recently collected:

“Summary of 2024 Light the World News”

“Where You Can Donate to a Light the World Giving Machine in Utah”

“You Can Lift Another at a Light the World Giving Machine: In more than 100 locations, Light the World Giving Machines make serving others a joyful and memorable experience” This article features a list of the cities, worldwide, where Giving Machines are located in 2024.

“A Worldwide Invitation to Light the World This Christmas Season: The Light the World initiative is a celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth”

“Lighting the World in New York: The Church of Jesus Christ and other charities are “united in doing something that blesses the most vulnerable,” Elder Cook says”

“Church Lights the World in London: Sister Yee participates in the County Hall event” By the way, knowing London somewhat I was really blown away by the location featured in the video.

“Light the World Launches in Kansas City, Missouri: From Union Station to the football field, Light the World officially launches in Kansas City”

“#LightTheWorld Giving Machines inspires and draws smiles in Metro Manila”

“Meet Latter-day Saints as their Manila temple lights up for Christmas: Rappler’s Paterno Esmaquel II brings us to the Manila temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, formerly known as the Mormon Church, as they aim to “light the world” this Christmas season.”

“#LightTheWorld Giving Machines Touch Hearts in Davao and Cebu”

“Mormon Giving Machines to open to public on November 30 at Sarit Centre [in Kenya]”

“Giving Machines open in Utah and Salt Lake counties: Over 500 organizations around the world have items in the machines, located in 106 different cities, including several in Utah”

“Hong Kong Illuminates the City with “Light the World” Giving Machines: Touch Lives with One Touch”

People lined up in Kansas City, Missouri, to donate via the Giving Machines in December 2022.

Light plays a central role — and, I think, not merely a symbolic one — in all of the Abrahamic religions. The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, for instance, celebrates the hope that the Jewish people derived from the ancient Hanukkah miracle of lights. On Christmas, Christians decorate with electric lights to symbolize Jesus Christ as the light of the world, the Savior. During the holy Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, the fanoos, or fanoos Ramadan, is a lantern that is used to light up homes, mosques, and streets.

One of the most famous verses of the Qur’an reads as follows:

God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The likeness of His light is, as it were, that of a niche containing a lamp; the lamp in a glass, the glass like a radiant star: [a lamp] lit from a blessed tree — an olive-tree of neither the east nor the west, the oil whereof [so bright that it] would well-nigh give light [of itself] even though fire had not touched it: light upon light! God guides unto His light whomever He wills. (24:35, my translation)

And light symbolism occurs well beyond the Abrahamic faiths — as, to choose just one example, Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights. But I’ll confine myself to those for this blog entry.

The Bible opens with light:

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. (Genesis 1:1-5)

The Gospel of John opens with light, as well, giving us a vast and cosmic perspective on the Christmas story, extending far beyond the familiar stable at Bethlehem of Judea:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-14)

But God is not jealous of his light. He doesn’t seek to horde it for himself. He loves us so much that he wants to share it:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

We too can partake of the divine light, and pass it on:

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)

How are we to do this?

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. (Matthew 10:8)

Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do. (3 Nephi 18:24)

Drawing upon his expertise as an artist, a teacher of art, and a professional student of color, our neighbor Dallyn Zundel gave a wonderful priesthood lesson a few weeks ago, the fundamental message of which, as I understood it, was that, if we desire to reflect God’s light, we will be able to do it best by ourselves coming to resemble God more closely.

The Giving Machines provide us with a convenient, easy way of moving at least a little bit further in that direction. The motto for the Giving Machine campaign — “Light the World” — is very well chosen. Please take advantage of this opportunity!

[It scarcely needs to be said, I think, that Giving Machines come out of the very darkest and deepest pit of the Christopher Hitchens Memorial “How Religion Poisons Everything” File™.]

At the end of July 2023, these women in eastern Kenya celebrate the delivery to their village of beehives that were provided by donors to the Giving Machines.

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