Matthew 5:14-16 (You are the light...)
My sister has been involved in youth ministry for quite some time now and she told me about an example she used once, which I'll relate here.
In the hall, all the lights were turned off and people were standing in random places. My sister would walk around and when she came to someone she'd shine a torch in their eyes. As you can imagine, the people would throw their hands up and shy away from the bright light.
Once she'd done this several times, she moved to the centre of the room and shone the torch at the ceiling. Now everyone could see the light, but no one needed to shy away.
Our lives are like the torch.
Matthew 5:14-16
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
We are called the light of the world. Our lives need to shine Jesus to those around us. Not in a confrontational, in-their-face kind of way, but like a lamp on a stand that gives light to all in the house. Don't point you torch in people's faces; But rather, shine it at the ceiling so all can see it.
It can seem daunting to be called a light to the world. A whole tonne of responsibility seems to fall on our shoulders and the burden becomes heavy and our hearts wary. What if we slip up? What if we offend someone? Am I good enough to be a light for others?
With Jesus, the burden is lifted and He shoulders it for us. His burden is light.
However, I see this verse as a call to action for the Church as a whole. The church is called to be a light to the world - a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. Our light as we come together and serve God is what shines for the world to see.
White light is a spectrum. A combination of all visible wavelengths of light.
To see these different colours, we need a prism as shown by the Pink Floyd album cover. If we imagine the prism as the point where we meet with God and each other, the image can go two ways.
From left to right, it tells of a church that is fractured and fights against itself. A prople so broken they blame each other and decide to go their separate ways. The white light is split and each one follows their own path from that point onwards, growing further apart over time.
From right to left is a happier, more unified story. Disparate peoples from many different walks of life with different experiences, ideas and stages of understanding come together with God and each other. They are focussed on a common goal - to be a light to the world; A city on a hill.
This week I'll be thinking about how I can unify with God and those around me to shine His light to the world.
Which way are you running?
In the hall, all the lights were turned off and people were standing in random places. My sister would walk around and when she came to someone she'd shine a torch in their eyes. As you can imagine, the people would throw their hands up and shy away from the bright light.
Once she'd done this several times, she moved to the centre of the room and shone the torch at the ceiling. Now everyone could see the light, but no one needed to shy away.
Our lives are like the torch.
Matthew 5:14-16
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
We are called the light of the world. Our lives need to shine Jesus to those around us. Not in a confrontational, in-their-face kind of way, but like a lamp on a stand that gives light to all in the house. Don't point you torch in people's faces; But rather, shine it at the ceiling so all can see it.
It can seem daunting to be called a light to the world. A whole tonne of responsibility seems to fall on our shoulders and the burden becomes heavy and our hearts wary. What if we slip up? What if we offend someone? Am I good enough to be a light for others?
With Jesus, the burden is lifted and He shoulders it for us. His burden is light.
However, I see this verse as a call to action for the Church as a whole. The church is called to be a light to the world - a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. Our light as we come together and serve God is what shines for the world to see.
White light is a spectrum. A combination of all visible wavelengths of light.
To see these different colours, we need a prism as shown by the Pink Floyd album cover. If we imagine the prism as the point where we meet with God and each other, the image can go two ways.From left to right, it tells of a church that is fractured and fights against itself. A prople so broken they blame each other and decide to go their separate ways. The white light is split and each one follows their own path from that point onwards, growing further apart over time.
From right to left is a happier, more unified story. Disparate peoples from many different walks of life with different experiences, ideas and stages of understanding come together with God and each other. They are focussed on a common goal - to be a light to the world; A city on a hill.
This week I'll be thinking about how I can unify with God and those around me to shine His light to the world.
Which way are you running?
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