One of the things I love most about the church’s liturgical cycle is the crescendo that builds during the season after Epiphany. If you did not know, today is the fifth Sunday after Epiphany, the fifth Sunday after the glory of the incarnation was revealed to the magi. Lost between Christmas Eve and the New Year, we miss the wise men traversing afar, bringing their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the newborn Messiah. In the magi the revelation of the incarnation of God in human flesh leapt beyond the borders of Israel.
We find ourselves in the middle of a great crescendo of the continuation of the revelation made to the magi. And because God is making this revelation, we can take a moment to be still and know that one who was laid in a manger, the one who called the disciples from their nets, and the one who declared that the kingdom of God is present here and now is the one who continues to cast light into the dark corners of the world.
There is a light in the sky, a star that draws the magi to the manger.
The Gospel of John opens with the light that casts out darkness.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”[i]
The continuing crescendo reveals that what happened in a manger in Bethlehem was not a one-off event. Instead, through Mary’s womb, God’s grand entrance is the light that has forever changed the world. And this revelation is being revealed step-by-step by Matthew as we move toward the height of the crescendo, the transfiguration of Christ when the fullness of Christ’s glory is revealed to the disciples.
Jesus tells his disciples they “are the light of the world.”[ii] “No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.”
He tells them that they bear something inside themselves, something they may have been unaware was present, that will transform the world.
Because Jesus is the light of the nations[iii] and the disciples are following Jesus, the light he bears is also theirs. And the world will know this light because of what the disciples do.
This light will make its way into the darkest corners of the world through the ways the disciples respond to Jesus’ call to follow him, setting aside the ego of personal expectations and desires.
The light of Jesus Christ will make its way into the darkest corners of the world through the ways the disciples respond to Jesus’ grand reversal of the ways we view blessings, knowing that the Kingdom of God is present in and through him, and not an event that will happen one day, one day when his followers finally figure out how to follow
.
Martin Luther, the great reformer of the church, wrote, “The purpose of the Christian life is to let our light shine, to let our good works be seen, so that others may give glory to God. This means that our actions and deeds should reflect the love and truth of Jesus Christ and bring glory to God through their positive impact on others.”
The purpose of the light we bear is the illuminate the world, casting light into what Rev. Fleming Rutledge describes as the shadow side of creation. And this occurs through the works of mission, compassion, and mercy done by the church in Christ’s name.
When a meal is served, a prayer is offered, or an act of compassion is done in the name of Christ, the light placed in each of us as followers of Christ grows brighter because not only are we heeding Christ’s call to bear this light but also because we are acknowledging the light present in the person we are serving. Because truth be told, in those instances, we are acknowledging the presence of Christ in another. And that is another opportunity for us to be still and know that God is God, is present with us, and is guiding every action of those who faithfully answer the call to drop their nets and follow Christ.
Friends, we live in a world in desperate need of the light of Christ. Sometimes, the shadow side of creation seems more like a shadow continent, and the darkness is more than any person or group of people can overcome.
This past week the darkness of the world felt darker in our community. Two incidents, days apart at Wakefield High School, brought the darkness present in our community to the forefront. The prevalence of drugs and violence in our community is not limited to one high school campus. Still, within a few days, the darkness that we often care not to admit is present made its way to the front page of our newspapers and became the topic of conversation at dining room tables.
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”[iv] 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.
[i] John 1:5, NRSV
[ii] Matthew 5:14, NRSV
[iii] Matthew 4:16
[iv] Matthew 5:14, NRSV
The Crescendo of Light