Be Still and Know | The Crescendo of Light - February 5, 2023

Brewing Theology With Teer

The darkness of our world pushes those who feel isolated, alone, or forgotten further into the shadows, where it can seemingly feel impossible to see or experience and source of hope – a source of light.
Rev. Fleming Rutledge wrote, “Jesus is calling us to let our light shine in a world often shrouded in darkness. Our good works, acts of kindness and compassion, can bring light into the lives of those around us.”The things we do in the church – the hymns we sing, the meals we share, the sacraments, the mission work, the committee, and council meetings – are not things we do to make ourselves feel better or to check a box on the list of good things we are supposed to do. No, what we do here matters because, in everything we do – in the hymns, meals, sacraments, mission work, and yes, even the meetings – we are bearing the light of Christ into a world in desperate need of light.
Being bears of the light of the world makes us a source of hope and positivity, even in difficult and trying times, because our world can feel hopeless and dark. But, when we step out, of this physical space and out of the comfort of our preferences and desires, we are beacons of hope, beacons of light, shining the grace of Jesus Christ for all to see.
Martin Luther King Jr. reminds us, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”The good news for us and the world is that the light we bear is not our own; thus, our effectiveness is not entirely up to us. The yous in Jesus’ “you are” is singular, yes, but it is also plural. We “are the light of the world” because we have been formed by Christ, because Christ sustains us, and because we are sent into the world in the name of Christ.
We are not doing this on our own. Christ is with us, before and after us.
The light shines in the darkness, sings the psalmist, “They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.” We get to be a part of the grand crescendo of God’s kingdom-building work in the world, but more urgently in the dark corners of our community. This sounds like a mighty, seemingly impossible task, but by God’s grace, a light shines from within us, even on those days when the world's chaos appears to have the upper hand.
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