Isaiah 58:1–12; Psalm
112; I
Corinthians 2:1–16; Matthew
5:13–20
A homily by Fr. Gene
Tucker, given at Trinity Church,
Mt.
Vernon, Illinois on Sunday, February 9, 2014.
“GOD…GOD’S PEOPLE…GOOD WORKS”
(Homily text: Matthew 5:13–20)
“Let your
light so shine before others, that they may see your good works and give glory
to your Father, who is in heaven,” Jesus says in our gospel reading for this
morning.
Light
figures prominently in the Bible.
For
example, looking at Genesis, we see that the first thing that God created was
light.
Later on,
God’s people were told that they were given by God to be a “light to the
nations”. (Isaiah 42:6)
Jesus says
about Himself that “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12)
As we think
about light, we notice that as it casts its rays onto an object, those rays
allow the object to be seen. As we
become aware of the object, we are also aware, to some extent or another, of
the light itself.
However,
more often than not, we don’t consider the source of the power that creates the
light in the first place, kerosene (in an earlier age), or electricity (today).
When we
come into the presence of light, more often than not we are aware of the
objects we can see because of the light’s presence.
Jesus
begins with the light itself, saying that God’s people are to let their light
shine so that the results of that light can be seen in the good works that are
seen by others. Just as light allows something
to be seen, so too does the light of God result in something that can be
seen: good works.
But Jesus
completes the process, instructing us to let our light shine, so that God can
be glorified.
With the
mention of giving glory to God, we now have all the ingredients of a
well-balanced life of faith.
Simply put,
the equation works like this:
God is the
source of the power to create the light.
We, God’s
people, are the means by which God’s light shines into the world.
Good works
are the result of the relationship between God and God’s people.
Good works
are the necessary fruit of the power of God, flowing through us like
electricity flows through a light fixture.
Good works are the tangible results of an often intangible relationship
between God and God’s people, the things that can be seen which are the
products of a relationship that can’t always be seen.
However, as
we look back into the Church’s history, we can see periods of time when serious
imbalances in the relationship between God, God’s people and good works were to
be found.
At some
times and in some places in Christian history, God’s people have focused almost
exclusively on their relationship with God, cultivating a rich worship
practice, studying Holy Scripture extensively, engaging in an active life of
prayer. However, sometimes these very
desirable things were done with little-or-no attendant good works. The needs and cares of the world went
unnoticed, unheeded and unanswered.
Conversely,
at other times and in still other places, Christians have engaged actively in
doing good works in the world, caring for the hungry, the neglected, the
homeless, the destitute, and so forth.
But the need to cultivate a strong relationship with God, which forms
the basis of who we are and whose we are, was lacking.
To neglect
either our relationship with God, or our need to be doing good in the world
risks turning the Church, which is the body of Christ, into a club.
Perhaps
this remark could use some unpacking.
To turn the
Church into a place of worship, prayer and study alone risks making the Church
into a closed society for the benefit of those inside its ranks.
To turn the
Church into a social service agency risks turning the Church into just another
service club which is dedicated to doing good things.
Yet a
well-balanced approach, which incorporates – first of all – a strong and
abiding relationship with God, a relationship that is consistently harnessed to
actively doing good works for the benefit of others, incorporates all that God
has in mind for His people.
As has been
said: “The Church is the only institution known
which exists for the benefit of those who are outside it.”HiHHH
May we, as
God’s people, receive the light and power of God, that we may let God’s light
shine through the good we do, for the benefit of others, and for the glory of
God the Father.
AMEN.
