Today’s Reading: Matthew 5:14-16
“You are the light of the world…[So] let your light shine…”
The scriptures are filled with dramatic statements, and this surely must be one of the more amazing ones. It is not hard to believe that Jesus is the light, revealing the nature of what it means to embody the love of God but then he turns to his followers and declares that they are called to do the same thing. In addition, they are to do it openly that people may “give glory to [God] for the gift of embodying God’s love in the world in which they live.
I don’t know about you, but this is challenging to say the least. What does it mean that I am to be a vessel conveying God’s love to humanity? What does that look like? How do I prepare myself for this “calling”?
On my spiritual journey I have come to understand that embodying the love of God takes many forms, all of which involve action. The love that is God’s love is a verb, not an emotion. It is about “doing” and “being”, not about warm fuzzy feelings. This “light is not passive; it is active in every sense of the term. And it takes both simple and complex ways of “shining”. Taking the time to really listen to someone, showing support while someone faces a difficult moment, sending cards to people experiencing the various significant events in life, e.g. birth, anniversaries, deaths, promotions, etc. The list of actions we can take to incarnate the fullness of God’s love in the life of those we encounter is endless.
But being a “light” also means a willingness to stand firm in the face of evil. It means to stand up and declare when things are happening that are against the very love we share. It means to witness and work for change when we see racism, sexism, antisemitism, and all the other forms by which some declare themselves to be superior to others and so abuse people. This is also letting our light shine as we seek to transform the world into what God wants humanity to be,
As we enter the third week of Advent this year, let each of us take time to pause and reflect on what we are doing and what we might do to embody God’s love in our own environment.
Reflections 