Bright!

Today we wrap up our reflections on Pastor Sam's sermon.

"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid." (Matthew 5:14, King James Version)

How do you hide light? You don't. Light is either present or absent. If even the smallest light source is present, it is visible.

Perhaps one of the more sobering realizations for we Christians is that Jesus described us in the same way He described Himself: "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, 'I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.'" (John 8:12); "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." (John 9:5)

The Holy Spirit has equipped us to be the representation of Christ in the world. We are the body of Christ. We embrace His Light, we reflect His Light, and everyone knows we belong to Him.

To paraphrase Matthew 5:15, no one lights a candle and then sticks it under a bushel. The weight of the bushel would not just obstruct the light of the candle, it would snuff out the candle completely. The whole point of having a lit candle is to shine the light, not hide it. What does that mean for us? Well, it means we shouldn't hide the Light that is in us. Just like the example of salt, our purpose as Christians is to have a tangible, unmistakable effect on everyone we come into contact with. And we don't have to stand on a crate and scream: we can simply live for Jesus every day. And people will notice us. They will notice the decisions we make, they'll notice the compassion, the forgiveness, the integrity. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)

Yes, Lord, we are happy to obey You, and to let our light shine... because our light is the Light of the world!