18 November 2020

As we approached our destination we came to the top of the hill where the town was situated. I glanced to my left and was astounded. There on the skyline was the biggest hardware store I had ever seen! It stood like a citadel rising to the skyline for all to see. As far as the eye could see on the horizon, from east to west, it was there.

I immediately turned to Bruce in the driver’s seat and stated, “Oh wow, that’s what we, the Church, should be like. Shining our light for all the people in our town to see. That they know where to go for help and who to turn to in need.”

The scripture that came to my mind was:

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 5:14-16 ESV

Oh, do we shine the Light of Christ within us for all to see?

How do I do that?

This story about Mother Teresa gave me an inkling of how we can shine that Light.

Mother Teresa and her sisters visited and assisted the poor and infirm. Doing what they could. In one small hut there was an elderly man who lived alone. Mother Teresa cleaned his hut and washed his clothes. One day she found a very dusty lamp among his possessions. She asked the man if he ever lit it and he said, “No. I have not had a visitor for years and years. There is no reason for me to light the lamp.”

“Will you light the lamp if my Sisters come and visit you?” Mother Teresa asked.

The man replied that he would.

Mother Teresa cleaned the lamp and arranged for her Sisters to visit him every evening. He began to look forward to their visits and always had the lamp lit for them.

Two years had passed, and Mother Teresa had forgotten about the incident.

One day she received a message from the man. He said, “Tell my friend, Mother Teresa, that the light she lit in my life is still burning.”

Oh my! Because someone cared this Man now had HOPE in his life and lit not just the   physical lamp but the spiritual lamp in his life.

The line that stood out to me in this true story was:

“There is NO reason for me to light the lamp!”

Have we, the people of God, Christians we call ourselves, forgotten to shine Hope, Peace, Joy, Comfort, Understanding, Acceptance and Forgiveness into people’s lives?

Have we not been shining out for the world to see?

Yes, people need to respond to that Light but that is not OUR issue. The Holy Spirit will soften people’s hearts to respond . Our job is to be that LIGHT.

That does not mean I have to be perfect and shine 100 percent, nonstop all of the time.

It just means in my human frailty I shine and point the way to Jesus who is the LIGHT that shines continuously, nonstop, 100 percent.  Jesus who dwells within us is the ONE who gives us our Light.

What can we do in our world, in our family to shine that Light?

The scripture finishes by stating that people will see our good works and give Glory to God.

Oh, what a responsibility but also a privilege. If we have our lamps lit (which is ourselves lit with having a relationship with Christ) we will naturally want to love our neighbour and do good works. From this it will draw people to ask why? It will draw others, like this man, to be lit inside with love and so from our witness, give glory to God.

Oh, my hope and dream is one day for we, the Church, to once again BE like that hardware store. A beacon that draws all people to Him. A place full of love that shows us how to live life well.

Many of us have already found that place but sadly many of us have not.

The echo of that line sounds in my head once again.

“There is no reason for me to light that lamp”

Let’s give people a reason!

May these jottings from my journal inspire you to believe in and fall in love with Christ- the hope of the world, as stated in Jeremiah 17:7, ‘Blessed is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the Lord and whose hope and confident expectation is the Lord!’

Love

Rosemary

Every week groups of ladies meet together to chat about the things I raise in my weekly blog post and to chat about life in general. We call these ‘Heart Connect’ groups. If you would like more information please click HERE.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

What have you been doing to shine Christ’s Light in the world?

What more can you do in your world, in your family to shine that Light?