Tonight we looked at Jesus’s words, ‘You are the light of the world.’ (Matt 5:14) Whilst we readily understand that God is light (see 1 John 1:5) and that Jesus described Himself as the Light of the world (John 8:12), it is harder for us to imagine why He should have called us the light of the world!
Light is an important theme in the Bible and God is often described in terms of brilliant light (see Ezek 1:4, Rev 1:14-15, Matt 17:2). Light is the opposite of darkness, and the BIble makes it plain that we are now children of the light and must live accordingly (1 Thess 5:5, Eph 5:8-9). It is our relatkionship with and connection to Jesus which enables us to reflect His light.
Light illuminates darkness – but Jesus understood that exposing darkness does not make people feel comfortable. (John 3:19-20) Nonetheless, as God’s light shines in us, we can then have an impact on our community through the good works we do. Light is not meant to be hidden. We may feel that we cannot have much influence, but we are like a lighthouse, shining a steady, constant light to warn others of danger and to welcome them into God’s love.
When we shine our light steadfastly in this way, we may not be like the coloured neon light or a ‘glow in the dark’ glowstick, but still we bring light into dark places. The collective light brought by God’s people gathering together shines brightly: ‘A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.’ (Matt 5:14) We are not meant to be a hidden church. We are meant to shine brightly in Goldthorpe. We are meant to radiate light all around us, not just in December, but throughout every season. Our task is to reflect God’s ways and God’s glory through how we live our ordinary lives.