Shine On!

Matthew 5:13-16

Total black out. Can’t see one thing. Put your hand a couple of inches in front of your face…nothing! There is nothing quite as unsettling as being in absolute, total darkness. When you have followed your guide down into the bowls of the mountain, they shut off the lights in Wind Cave. And it is TOTAL black out!

It’s difficult to comprehend the impact of Jesus’ statement to the followers gathered around as He declared His Kingdom “Manifesto” articulating and establishing the personnel policies and mission directives of their ministry. He looks at this collection of firebrands and says, “You are the light of the world!” And they understood. They got it. It made sense. A “city on a hill” and a “lamp on a stand”…talking points they had no difficulty comprehending.

They were going to be watched. They were going to be seen both publicly and privately. They were going to be scrutinized, analyzed, and criticized. There would be no hiding for them. Life in what we call a “glass house.” They were not many and their mission field was enormous, but they got it. When you live in a world of total black out, ANY flickering flame stands out. Any small radiance immediately arrests attention. Like wandering in dangerous and unfamiliar territory after the sun has set and before the glow of the moon creates unnerving shadows, your eyes strain to find a beam, to catch a glow, to fixate on a ray of light. Struggling to find a city on a hill with lamps, welcoming the pilgrim. Like a small oil lantern in the middle of a one-room home, warming and lighting the entire place for the comfort of the family.

“You are the light of the world!” They were not many and their field was the world. The world into which He sent them was absolute darkness--total blackout, but their flickering lives would be immediately seen by those who wander in the darkness.

They leave the lights off long enough for your eyes to begin to adjust. In your imagine you actually start to think you ARE seeing things. But then you put your hand up in front of your face…and you see nothing. Total blackout. What a relief when the lights come back on! Suddenly everything around you becomes visible and clear. The path back out to the light of day is again clearly evident and the suffocating “panic” that results from total blackness dissolves. There is hope again in the Wind Cave.

“You are the light of the world!” Hope in the absolute total blackout.

See you Sunday, Church!
Pastor Tom