Let us pray: Come Holy Spirit and shine your light into our hearts today. In the name of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, One God. Amen.
Two Sundays ago Bingham spoke to us about the theme of light that runs throughout the scriptures. From John’s Gospel:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the LIGHT of all people. The LIGHT shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the LIGHT, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the LIGHT but he came to testify to the LIGHT. The TRUE LIGHT which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world” (John 1:1-9). In Advent we prepare for the coming of the light and at Christmas we rejoice that the light has come. In Epiphany the magi are guided by the star to discover the light of God come into our world. Throughout this season of Epiphany, we see revelations of the light of the world through Jesus’ baptism where the Holy Spirit descends and God claims Jesus declaring him beloved, at the wedding feast in Cana we see the light of the world in the first miracle, through Jesus’ teachings that we heard last week in the blessings, not as the world sees blessings, but as Jesus declares the radical new world order of God’s blessing and care for the least, the last and the lost. And if you recall, Bingham gave us a preview of what was to come from Jesus and the light, how Jesus would instruct us on how to be light bearers in our world today.
Here we are this Sunday where Jesus tells us to be salt and light. “You are the light of the world.” We too are light as we seek to follow Jesus, to receive, shine and share that divine light in our world. Jesus tells us and shows us how we are to be light, to shine and illuminate our world today. “Let you light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to God.”
Our world is FULL of darkness right now. We are living in a time where it is hard to find, or shine light. There is darkness in our personal lives: family members struggling with substance use disorder, relationships failing, crumbling, loss of jobs and medical benefits, ongoing battles with chronic pain, teenagers overwhelmed with anxiety, friends, good friends, active and full-of- life parish members who receive cancer diagnoses, rapidly deteriorate and die too soon, too quickly, Latino parishioners afraid to come to church because of ICE, teenagers worried about losing moms and dads to detention and deportation, political leaders disregarding the dignity of human beings and turning to racist tropes, and on, and on, and on. Our world is dark. There is not denying it.
And yet, we are called to be light, to shine the light of Christ in our world today.
As God spoke to the people of Isaiah’s time, God speaks to us. How DO we shine? How CAN we shine? What are we to do? First, remember always that the smallest of lights dispels darkness and that together, together, our light will grow and grow and grow until it shines like the dawn. Remember too the words of John’s Gospel: “…The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.” The darkness of our world has never, does not now, and will never overtake the love and light of God. PERIOD. This week I have seen the light as people came together to support one another in grief over the loss of our beloved parishioner Katie Thomas. I have seen the light as we gathered to sing and show a better way of peace and love at the federal building on Tuesday at noon. I have seen the light as I travelled to Grants Pass to be with the priest who baptized me, prepared me for confirmation and supported me in my priestly discernment, the Rev. Jim Boston as I anointed him and prayed with him and his wife Pam. I have seen the light.
The prophet Isaiah tells us how to shine light, how to shine so that people see our good works and give glory to God. “…Loose the bonds of injustice, let the oppressed go free, break every yoke, every thing that holds people down, share your bread with the hungry, house the unhoused, clothe people, be reconciled and care for your kin. Then, then, you light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing spring up quickly, when you call out to God, God will answer, “Here I am!” and your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. The Lord will guide you and satisfy your needs in parched places, make your bones strong, you’ll be like a watered garden, like a spring of water that never runs out. Such beauty, such light, life, and restoration Isaiah describes for us and our world when we shine bright with God’s love.
My siblings in the light of Christ, SHINE! Be the light of Christ in our broken and desperate world today. When we come to be with one another in grief, we shine and our light grows. When we come together to pray and praise and be fed at the table, we shine. When we stand and sing and hold signs and decry injustice, we shine. TOGETHER we shine. We need each other. I need your light. I share my light and I combine it with yours and on and one we go. We need one another’s’ light. Together we must shine the light that will change our world. Light that will usher in God’s dream of love and equity for all.
This little light of mine, I’m gonna’ let it shine (3x)
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Amen.
