Hope is Not Hidden. Let it Shine.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

{MATTHEW 5:14-16}

Recently I saw a photograph in black and white of a man standing in shadow. From above him a single shaft of light trickles through a small window. You see the light. The dark is there, but you see light.

The caption from the photographer points out how light is seen, but you do not hear it. He poses a question which I will paraphrase: What would the world look like if more of us focused on being the message as opposed to declaring it? Would we change the world? This challenges me as a person who teaches, writes, and speaks, so it makes me think. What would happen if we let our very lives be the message the world so desperately needs? Let love become our voice.

Living this gospel of grace requires light and movement, the stuff of art. Artists know that the key element in any work is the light source. The way the morning turns water into silver and a setting sun blazes fire among the leaves. Creator God, the true artist, made you in His image to bear His name and live His art. This is not to bring glory to ourselves, but to illuminate the Father with everything we do.

Jesus always did two things. First he touched. Then he taught. Jesus went toward the hurting, the sick, and the outcast. He showed compassion, he healed, and he dined among the people. Then he spoke actual words of life into each person he encountered. He told them to go and sin no more; he said your faith has healed you; he preached the sermon on the mount; he wrote in the sand; he gave thanks to the Father; he told the dead to rise.

Colossians 3:17 instructs, whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Don’t hide under a bushel of false humility or unspoken shame. Let your light shine and your life speak glory to His name. Amen.