Time to Shine (March 21, 2020)

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”  John 8:12

Jesus went on to say, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14

I know we are being told to stay home and I believe we are to obey the authorities over us, as it says in Romans chapter 13.  The shelter-in-place order is forcing us to retreat to our homes and be hidden in many ways. But Jesus said, we can’t be hidden; our light must shine.  Wherever and however we can, we must shine our light and bring glory to God.

The Light of the World, Jesus Christ, spreads His light through us His disciples, His people, and His church.  We are Christ’s ambassadors and He shines His light through the prayers of the saints, us being His hands and feet in this world, by sharing His love and grace, and by spreading the gospel of grace.  This is our opportunity to shine our light to a world that is feeling fearful, hopeless and helpless in many ways.  Many are looking for hope and answers and are facing their mortality- realizing that life is fragile and fleeting.

Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.  Isaiah 60:1

Now is our time to shine by being compassionate, gracious, generous, loving, peaceful and prayerful. We have everything we need in Christ to give people hope in the midst of a dark time. We can bring hope, peace, and comfort to people by pointing them to God, His Word, and by praying for them.  The church must pray for each other, our leaders, and for our world. We can do things as simple as checking on people and showing concern, offering to shop for the elderly, sharing food with the needy, praying for people on the phone, and/or sharing Scriptures and God-honoring social media posts.  I know the Holy Spirit will give us creativity to shine our light in new and effective ways as we allow Him to lead us.

In the early days of the church when plagues came and death was widespread, the wealthy would leave their cities to look for safety.  The Christians, including the wealthy ones, would stay in their cities and would serve, minister and compassionately share the love of Jesus. This was one of the main reasons that Christianity was accepted in places that were initially unaccepting of the gospel.  When history looks back at COVID-19, my hope is that our witness during this time will be that we compassionately loved, served and prayed.

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.   2 Cor. 4:6

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

1 Pet 2:9

We need to bring the light to darkness and bring people out of darkness into the marvelous light of Christ that they might live in His light forever.