9 February 2020 - you are the light

Today's Readings

(Audio)

You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.

Jesus himself is the light of the world. In turn, we are all called to be light as well. Jesus warns us about the tendency we have to undervalue or hide our own light.

Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.

Jesus tells us that the sort of light we are. We are like a city on a hill or a lamp on a lampstand. We can see from those images and those about that salt something essential about what this means for us. The salt and the light are not for their own sake. The salt is for the food that is seasons. The light is for the darkness it illuminates. If this is the sort of light that is within us than we too must do all we can to lift it up and let it shine.

Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father.

When we hear that our good deeds are supposed to shine before others we tend to throw on the brakes. We are reminded of another verse that suggests that we should give only in secret so that even our right hand doesn't know what our left hand is doing. Indeed we are very much told not to sound the trumpet to call attention to ourselves. (see Matthew 6:2-4)

There is something different between letting our light shine and doing good deeds in a boastful and showy way. When we let the light shine we ourselves are not glorified for the deeds we do. Rather, the heavenly Father receives the glory. It is evident that he is the one at work in us because we are fully transparent to his action in us. We need only fear to be seen in good works as though we were the one doing them. When the grace of God is revealed at work this is the light that is meant to shine.

Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your wound shall quickly be healed;
your vindication shall go before you,
and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer,
you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!

If we want to do good deeds so as to let our light shine we should take as an example the way Paul brings the revelation of the Gospel to the Corinthians.

I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling,
and my message and my proclamation
were not with persuasive words of wisdom,
but with a demonstration of Spirit and power,
so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom
but on the power of God.

Let us set about good works which are actually demonstrations of the Spirit and the power of the Father at work in the world.

Light shines through the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.