I Corinthians 2: 1 – 16
Matthew 5: 13 – 20
A homily by: Fr. Gene Tucker
Given at: Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, Illinois; Sunday, February 6, 2011
“YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD”
“You are the light of the world,” Jesus says to us today. We read and hear His words, which form part of His Sermon on the Mount.Let’s consider the matter of light, just a little, this morning.
Have you given much thought to the importance of light lately? To aid in a reflection on light, allow me to offer some reflections for your consideration:
Light and darkness: I think, in our modern age, which is so full of light, that we forget just how precious a commodity light can be. For example, look at our church this morning….it is lighted in a number of different ways: Overhead lights, indirect lights, and light coming in through the windows. The lights of the candles on the altar also contribute to the level of light we are used to seeing on Sunday mornings. In pre-modern times however (that is to say, before the late 19th century), our churches would have been quite a bit darker. Much of the light that was present inside would have come through the stained glass windows, coming in from the outside world (provided the weather and the season allowed a brightness outside), while inside, the many candles that would have been used would have shown brightly, attracting our attention as they pierced the darkness of the interior of the church.
Another aspect of light and darkness has to do with how much light intrudes on our lives: Our street lights often obliterate the darkness of the night, causing us to miss seeing all the stars, the brightness of the moon, and other features of the night sky. (I remember vividly looking up at the night sky shortly after we moved to Illinois, for we lived at the edge of town in an area where there weren’t any street lights. I remember thinking that it had been decades since I’d seen the Milky Way with the brilliance and clarity that I had often seen it when I was growing up in Nebraska.) We live in a world which is saturated with light: street lights, neon flashing lights in commercial signs, billboards, snazzy interior lighting, and the like.
But to ancient peoples, light was a precious commodity, a power which could pierce the darkness. Light in those considerably darker times offered hope and protection from the unknown dangers that darkness represented. Consider this prayer from the Evening Prayer service in our Prayer Book. It captures the ancient fear of darkness quite well:
“Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord; and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of thy only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.”
To people in those days gone by, the darkness brought with it a fear of the unknown, and possibly danger, as well. To some extent, we moderns have not lost that concern and fear which darkness can still bring, though not entirely. One reason our communities are so well lit is because lights at nighttime deter criminal activity. So, we haven’t entirely lost our concern about the things that darkness can bring with it.
Light’s benefits: The presence of light brings with it a number of blessings.
For one thing, light allows us to see things as they are. Things that might be hidden in the darkness, are often plain to see when light shines on them. With regard to the human condition, Jesus illustrates this important point when He said “Men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”
For another, light allows us to see the way forward. Think about the importance of a car’s headlights, as they illuminate the road ahead when we drive during the hours of darkness. Similarly, God’s holy word illuminates the way of faith, as we travel the road of life with God as our guide.
A light shining at night can guide us home. I remember vividly waiting for my mother to come home after work at night. My sisters and I would stand at the large picture window, hoping to see the peculiar glint of the headlights of our 1950 Buick as they shined on the toothy grill of that old car. (I am showing my age!). This seems to be one of the main reasons why Jesus said that we Christians are the “light of the world”. He attaches importance to the light that we have received from Him, and which can be seen by others. “No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel,” He says. No, He says, the reason we are to allow the light of God to shine brightly as we live our lives is precisely so that “others can see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Where there is light, there cannot be darkness. Light is more powerful than darkness. Speaking of the light of Christ, John says this: “The light (Christ) shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
We are the light of the world: Jesus uses two illustrations to tell His disciples something about their role in the world. He uses salt and light.
Each of these: salt and light, possess qualities that are inherent to their usefulness. But neither one can get those qualities on their own….they either have them, or they don’t. In the case of salt, salt is either salty, or not. It can’t make itself be salty.
The same is true of light: A candle, for example, cannot light its own wick. It must receive the fire which creates the light from somewhere else.
This last point brings us to the matter of the source of the light we are to share with the world: The source is Jesus Christ, the very One who said, “I am the Light of the World.”
The challenge we face, then, is to allow ourselves to receive the light of Jesus Christ, allowing Him to set fire to the wick of our lives, which we present for His use.
Then, we are ready to allow ourselves to follow Jesus’ teachings. Following the light of Jesus Christ by learning of His ways, and by studying His words, allows our lives to provide the fuel source which will keep the wick of our witness to Christ burning brightly.
As we do so, we will follow our Lord Jesus Christ in pushing back the darkness of the world which surrounds us. We do so, confident that it was our Lord Jesus Christ whose light overcame the darkness of the world into which He was born. So too will the light of our witness also overcome the darkness which threatens to engulf us.
We close with this prayer:
“Surround us with your light, O Lord, and light fire to the wicks of our lives, that we may burn brightly in witness to your wisdom and your word. Amen.”
