Tag Archives: This Little Light of Mine

This Light of Mine!

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“This Light of Mine!”

Matthew 5:13-16 (5:14) – February 5, 2023

            When most people think of winter in Chicago, I suspect gloomy, cold, gray days come to mind for many people. I know I can see in my imagination dark, chilly, even depressing days with little sunlight and brightness. Sad, gray, gloomy days have an influence on my mood and general outlook, too. Can anyone else relate to this somber kind of attitude?

            As the atmosphere in these cold, frigid days of late January and early February seems to pull people down, down, down, I remember reading one chilly day in January that that particular month must be one hundred days long! Such gloomy, dull and dark days seem to stretch on forever. Thank goodness February is now here, with the coming promise of more sunshine, more light. Indeed, the sun is still shining – we know the sun is surely there, just behind the clouds.

            Right after our Lord Jesus gave His blessings or Beatitudes to the crowds, He talked about some very common, everyday things – like light. In our Scripture reading today, Jesus said to the crowds, “14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.”

            The gray clouds, chilly darkness and sadness may be all around us, sometimes, but Jesus tells us about light. The light of a town, the light of the world. Lighting up the whole house. Jesus says that we – all of us – are the light.

            Lutheran Pastor Janet Hunt talks about a memory she had. “I remember still lying on the floor reading a book as the sun was growing dim. And older family member, an aunt, I believe, stepped into the room and chastised me. “How can you read without the light?” she wondered. Often now, when I turn on the light so as to see to read or to work in the kitchen or to do just about anything, I think of how much more I depend on ‘light’ for things I didn’t used to need illuminated.” [1]         

Carolyn Brown tells us, “Some lights are bright and help us see what needs to be seen, for example, a lighthouse, or a search light. Some lights are soft and make us see the beauty of the world, for example, candles [or gentle lamps].” [2] God’s people do whatever they can to make the world more loving, more caring, and more bright for everyone.

            As commentator David Lose states, “[Jesus] says both simply and directly, “You are the light of the world.” It is, as with the Beatitudes, sheer blessing, commendation, affirmation, and commissioning.” [3]

            Dr. Lose reminds us of the statistics about a child’s self-esteem compared to what kind of messages they hear. When elementary-aged children hear one single negative message about themselves—like, “you’re mean!” “how stupid!” “you can’t do anything right!”—psychologists suggest that the children need to hear ten positive messages to restore their sense of self-esteem to where it had been previously. [4] That is, to correct the internal emotional and psychological damage and balance of the children, and cause them to have a positive, healthy self-image, they need the hear ten positive messages to make up for just one negative, hurtful comment.

            When our Lord Jesus clearly states that we – all of us – are light, that is more than just a wish. That is more than a “I hope so!” or “maybe, it might happen.” No, the rabbi Jesus made a positive, declarative statement when He said “You are the light of the world.”  

What will we sing right after this sermon, as a sermon response? “This Little Light of Mine.” When we hold our fingers up as lights, do you know what that reminds me of? Remember back to Christmas Eve? Every year for the closing hymn of that service, we sing “Silent Night.” We all hold candles and sing. We hold those candles as a symbol or sign of God’s light within each of us, God’s light that shines among us.

            Jesus had a definitive point to His words from today’s Scripture reading. We are light. Right now.

            Children – or teens or adults, for that matter – so often become what they are named. “Call a child ‘bad’ long enough, and he or she will believe you and act bad. Call [them] worthless or unlovable or shameful, and eventually he or she – all of us! – will live into the name we’ve been assigned. In the same way call us good or useful, dependable, helpful, or worthwhile, and we will grow into that identity and behavior as well.” [5]

            That is exactly what Jesus is doing here! He is calling us—naming us—light. We are—all of us—light of the world. The light of a city on a hill, shedding light to the whole community. Yes, Jesus wants us to be that light. He is calling us to grow into that identity and behavior! That same light of God we held up on Christmas Eve? The light of God that came into the world as a Baby born in Bethlehem? This is the same light that Jesus is talking about here. It’s the light of a city on a hill, and the light for the nations, that the prophet Isaiah talks about.      

            We aren’t required to do ten impossible things before breakfast to just break even with God, and try to get in line for a chance to reach for the light. It isn’t hoping that someday, maybe, we might finally become that light. We aren’t hiding our lights under a bushel, either.

We are that light! Now! And, we are holding it high! Why? Because, Jesus says so!

            As Jesus says, “let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” So, go. Be that light. Be that positive affirmation to your family, friends, workmates, and strangers. Let your light shine.

Now, more than ever, take Jesus at His word. Be the light. Amen.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://dancingwiththeword.com/you-are-the-light-of-the-world-2/

[2] http://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2014/01/year-fifth-sunday-after-epiphany-fifth.html

[3]  https://www.workingpreacher.org/dear-working-preacher/salt-light

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

The Light on This Corner

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Matthew 5:14-16 – February 5, 2017

matt-5-14-light-city-at-night

“The Light on This Corner”

Remember the holiday we celebrated here in this church, just a few weeks ago? The birth of the baby in Bethlehem. Foretold by prophets, welcomed by angels. I mean Christmas, the coming of God’s light into a dark world.

Just think about light, for a moment. When you walk into a dark house late at night, what is first thing you do? Turn on the lights. When the electricity shuts off during a power outage one dark and stormy night, what is the first thing you do? Find a flashlight or a candle and light it. Light is not only comforting, but useful. Light helps us in any number of ways. Helps us to see, allows us to work and read and go about our activities in what would otherwise be a dark and scary situation.

Jesus talked about light here in today’s Gospel reading, too. But before we get into His words about light, where does this reading coming from? These words are from the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount at the beginning of His public ministry. Another way of looking at this long address is a long lecture on God’s view of a lot of things. Important things, with a lot of real-life illustrations.

Our bible study on Wednesday mornings has just started a study on the first verses of Matthew 5, the Beatitudes, what comes just before these verses today. I won’t talk about the Beatitudes, since each sentence, each blessing of those deserves a whole sermon all by itself. We go on to these verses about salt and light, which the Rabbi Jesus places here, after the Beatitudes.       We could say more about salt (which is important, and tells us a lot about what Jesus thinks about the part we take in our world). However, I wanted to focus on Jesus’s words about Light. He says, “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.”

What did we sing right before the sermon started? “This Little Light of Mine.” When we held our lights up, do you know what that reminded me of? Remember back to Christmas Eve? For the closing hymn of that service, we sang “Silent Night.” We all held candles and sang. We held those candles as a symbol or sign of God’s light within each of us, God’s light that shines among us.

Jesus had a definite point to His words. We are light. Right now.

However, there is a definite temptation for many followers of Jesus. Some are tempted to make these words of Jesus a rigid requirement, as if Jesus were a stern, mean drill sergeant. Communicating with sarcasm, shaming. Shaking His finger at us and shouting, “You’d better be light!” Or a little less severe: “If you want to be light, do this!” Or even, “Before I call you light, I’ll need to see this from you.” [1]

Does that sound like Jesus? Truly? Would He ever use shame, guilt, and sarcasm?

That is most certainly not the way Jesus communicates here. As commentator David Lose says, “Rather, He says both simply and directly, “You are the light of the world.” It is, as with last week’s Beatitudes, sheer blessing, commendation, affirmation, and commissioning.” [2]

Dr. Lose reminds us of the statistics about a child’s self-esteem compared to what kind of messages they hear. When elementary-aged children hear one single negative message about themselves—like, “you’re mean!” “how stupid!” “you can’t do anything right!”—psychologists suggest that the children need to hear ten positive messages to restore their sense of self-esteem to where it had been previously. [3] That is, to correct the internal emotional and psychological balance of the children, and cause them to have a positive, healthy self-image.

“Children, to put it another way, become what they are named. Call a child bad long enough, and he or she will believe you and act bad. Call a child (or teen or adult for that matter) worthless or unlovable or shameful, and eventually he or she — all of us! — will live into the name we’ve been assigned. In the same way, call us good or useful, dependable, helpful, or worthwhile, and we will grow into that identity and behavior as well.” [4]

That is exactly what Jesus is doing here! He is calling us—naming us—light. We are—all of us—light of the world. The light of a city on a hill, shedding light to the whole community. Yes, Jesus wants us to be that light. He is calling us to grow into that identity and behavior! That same light of God we held up on Christmas Eve? The light of God that came into the world as a Baby born in Bethlehem? This is the same light that Jesus is talking about here. It’s the light of a city on a hill, and the light for the nations, that the prophet Isaiah talks about.

We aren’t required to do ten impossible things before breakfast to just break even with God, and try to get in line for a chance to reach for the light. It isn’t hoping that someday, maybe, we might finally become that light. We aren’t hiding our lights under a bushel, either.

We are that light! Now! And, we are holding it high! Why? Because, Jesus says so!

Janet Hunt, a Lutheran pastor from DeKalb, about an hour west of here in Morton Grove, has this real-life illustration about letting the light of God shine.

About two weeks ago, she met with the director of Hope Haven, the homeless shelter in DeKalb. The director told Pastor Hunt that the homeless shelter is the second largest housing facility in the county for the mentally ill (after the county jail for DeKalb County). Pastor Hunt was cut to the heart when the director told her the homeless shelter had to ration toilet paper, because of severe funding cuts. (Imagine, rationing even toilet paper.)

This is what Pastor Janet Hunt’s Lutheran congregation is going to do for the month of February. She said, “we will be collecting toilet paper and giving it to some of the most vulnerable among us. And maybe this will give us a way to begin a conversation about why it is so that the jail and the homeless shelter appear to be the only options in our neighborhood for people who are so fragile. Maybe we can start to shine light on this and them even in a time when too much of the world seems to care so little for such as these. And maybe that shining light will serve as both beacon and promise to our neighbors — both those who are so vulnerable and those who have extra toilet paper to share.” [5]

This might just be a little thing her church can do. Little to them, but huge to the people at the homeless shelter. This is surely a way to let the residents and the employees at Hope Haven know that someone cares. Someone is listening, and caring, and doing something.

Dr. Hunt’s illustration is a tremendous tie-in with Micah 6:8 from last week’s sermon! Do justice and love mercy/kindness/chesed for these homeless people in DeKalb, and shine the light of God. In the same way, we can let our lights (or, the Light of God) shine here in Morton Grove so that others will see it and rejoice. A city build on a hill shines its light for all to see. This church on this corner shines its light for all to see in this community, as well.

Where have you seen the light of God, lately? How can you let your light shine, today? How can you make a difference in someone’s life, even if it is small? I have a list of some kind, loving things you and I can do, each and every day. We can BE what Jesus calls us: light to the world. Light to our community. We can all live into God’s affirmation, trust, and love and BE God’s light to everyone we meet. Alleluia, amen.

[1] http://www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?m=4377&rp=blog53&post=1543 “Salt and Light,” David Lose, Dear Working Preacher, 2011. (Italics mine.)

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] http://www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?m=4377&rp=blog53&post=1543 “Salt and Light,” David Lose, Dear Working Preacher, 2011

[5] http://dancingwiththeword.com/you-are-the-light-of-the-world/  “You Are the Light of the World,” Janet H Hunt, Dancing with the Word, 2017.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my regular blog for 2017: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and my other blog,  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!)