Jesus Bids Us Shine

   

 

           This week our blog received a gift. A member of the congregation who wishes to remain anonymous, provided me with   a series of short homilies to be used at random on this page.  I'm extremely grateful, and thought I'd run the first one today.  November is notoriously drear and dark.  We've had our first storm of the season and the weather forecast is for more cloudy skies.  Seems like a perfect time to write about light.

Jesus bids us Shine

Matthew 5.16  …let your light so shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.

   Scripture tells us that Christians are to be shining lights - witnessing for Christ. But all lights do not have the same function. When you think of your own Christian life do you wish to be the biggest, the brightest, the most outstanding?- the “floodlight” type?

   The Lord does not call many people to fill that sort of responsibility, in fact, only a very few. Most of us will never be called to do a tremendously impressive job but all of us are called to be faithful wherever

   “Jesus bids us shine”. It may be in a very small corner, but even the smallest candle lighting the darkest corner can be the means of saving someone from injury or harm.

   In its work of lighting a corner the candle must not be covered by anything for then it will give very little light and its usefulness will be limited. This kind of light can only do a complete job when the candle is

                        straight,

                        the wick is functioning

                        the flame is burning evenly.

  Few will give credit to the light even when it is doing everything it is intended to do. But the important thing is not the candle or the wick but the light it produces in a dark corner.

   This is all God asks of us - “you in your small corner and I in mine”

   He may ask you to shine in your neighbourhood, to be a light for the house next door. It may be just at home, the most difficult place to shine.

    But He does ask you to be a shining light - ready to be put to use wherever He shows the place.

Are YOU shining?

Ed. Note:  As though to reinforce this story, I heard the other day of a man who visited in a home he hadn't been in before.  His first impression was "this is a Christian home."  There were no overt Christian symbols on the walls, no one was reading the Bible, the family wasn't assembled at prayers, but my friend was struck by the light that seemed to shine from every member of the household. He knew immediately that inner light came from God.

   Let your light shine!