30 January 2020 - to be made known

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket
or under a bed,
and not to be placed on a lampstand?

The Kingdom starts small and hidden. It is almost imperceptible. It grows from the heart as an intimate contact with Jesus himself. Yet it must not remain hidden within us. There was a time in the life of Jesus when the fact that he was the messiah was not openly revealed. He did not permit demons to speak of it. This allowed for initial growth without misrepresentation. So too does the fact of the identity of Jesus begin as hidden within us. So too must it then be proclaimed.

Even the good works we do, those done by our left hand that we hide from the right, even they will eventually be known and proclaimed so that the glory and the grace of God at work within us may be celebrated. We hide them now from ourselves so as to not misrepresent the origin of the power at work within us to ourselves or to others. But there is nothing hidden that will not be known.

For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible;
nothing is secret except to come to light.

That hidden things will be known is something in which we should be able to delight. The Kingdom may be growing, we know not how, but it is growing, and longs to break through the soil. But perhaps there are some hidden things in us which we would not be delighted to see made public. This is a lack of integrity within us. These places should be brought more to the LORD. Even our weaknesses don't finally need to be a cause of shame for us if we constantly turn them over to the LORD.

The LORD has promised great things. The Kingdom which we await is one of love, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. May we ask the LORD to let the light of Christ to shine forth from each of us, enlightening our own darkness as it does, to reveal that Kingdom already in our midst.

Do, then, bless the house of your servant
that it may be before you forever;
for you, Lord GOD, have promised,
and by your blessing the house of your servant
shall be blessed forever.”