Let Your Light Shine. Matthew 5:1-16, 01/14/204
Let Your Light Shine
Matthew 5:1-16
Rev. Rhonda Abbott Blevins
January 14, 2024
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he began to speak and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, 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 in heaven.”
There once was a King who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The King looked at all the paintings, but there were only two he really liked and he had to choose between them.
One painting was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains were all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this painting thought that it was a perfect portrayal of peace.
The other painting had mountains too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell, in which lightening played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all.
But when the King looked, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest . . . perfect peace.
Which picture do you think won the prize? The King chose the second picture. Do you know why?
“Because,” explained the King, “peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise or trouble. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace.”
This is a story I planned to tell last Sunday—a Sunday when our outer peace was disrupted by a couple of guys spewing vitriol at us. More than one of you have suggested, “Maybe that means we’re doing something right.” Here’s how Jesus said something similar:
Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
So blessed are you, Chapel by the Sea! Rejoice and be glad! And there is much to celebrate from last Sunday. We dedicated the first Peace Pole in the city of Clearwater—an obelisk of peace—part of a global “Peace Pole” community over 250,000 strong. We made the evening news! And when we released the seven doves (representing the seven continents of earth)— the doves flew away, it was as if they carried our prayers for peace with them upward and away. What a glorious celebration! We celebrated peace despite the noise. We celebrated peace despite the trouble.
Remember what the wise king said about the painting he chose to represent peace:
“Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise or trouble. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace.”
I can’t articulate how proud I am of you, Chapel. In the midst of noise and trouble, you demonstrated in real time what it means to be a people of peace. You did not return hatred with hatred. You did not return vitriol with vitriol. You returned hatred and vitriol with peace. I’ve never been so proud to be your pastor.
Blessed are you, Chapel by the Sea! Rejoice and be glad!
Last week’s dedication of the Peace Pole was the launch of our 75th Anniversary celebrations. Instead of celebrating one day, we decided to celebrate all year, because we’re a people who like to rejoice and be glad and we have a reason to celebrate!
You see, for 75 years, Chapel by the Sea has stood as a beacon of faith on Clearwater Beach, the only church on the beach. Throughout these 75 years, can you begin to imagine how many lives have been touched? How many prayers have been lifted? How many Bible lessons shared? How many hymns sung together? How many people have grown in faith? How much love has been shared? How much good has been accomplished? It’s impossible to measure!
Like a beacon, Chapel by the Sea—you!—have been a light shining into the darkness! If you think there’s no lighthouse on Clearwater Beach, think again!
As Jesus delivered his “Sermon on the Mount,” he used this imagery—light—to encourage his followers:
You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, 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 in heaven.
I love how The Message reads this same passage:
Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
Before we go too far thinking about light, I want to consider darkness for a moment. Annie Dillard once said, “If you want to look at stars, darkness is necessary.” As Christians, we are called to go into the dark places, bearing the light of Christ as we go. Sometimes, we find ourselves in dark places we didn’t choose, dark places no one would ever choose. Dark places like illness, grief, loneliness, financial difficulty . . . when you find yourself in those dark places (like we all do from time to time) remember that the Christ light is there with you in that dark place. And when you find yourself in the company of someone else in a dark place, be Christ’s light for them.
There’s this enormous place on earth called the “aphotic zone.” Aphotic meaning “without light.” It’s 1,000 meters beneath the surface of the ocean. In the aphotic zone, there’s absolutely no light. It’s complete and utter darkness. So you know what the creatures who live there do? They create their own light. It’s called bioluminescence. Marine biologists suggest 80-90 percent of deep-sea creatures have this capability.
2009 JAPANESE SCIENTISTS
Now here’s a more interesting fact. YOU are bioluminescent as well. A team of Japanese scientists back in 2009 proved that humans (all living creatures) emit light . . . they proved that humans are bioluminescent. They found a way to capture this phenomenon on camera. Apparently, as living creatures we constantly have chemical reactions going on inside us, and these chemical reactions emit photons, light, but at wavelengths the human eye can’t perceive. So it’s a fact: we emanate light from our bodies! Amazing! You literally shine! We all do!
When Jesus said, “you are light of the world,” I always thought he was being figurative. Now I’m not so sure.
Again, from The Message:
You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world.
Chapel, the best gift we can offer is our light. Some of us are cool green, some are red hot. Some of us are a peaceful blue, others a joyful yellow. When we come together, when we remember that we are the church (not a building!), when we gather as the called community, we are ABSOLUTELY RADIANT! We can’t see it with our literal eyes . . . it’s a wavelength only the spiritual eye can see. But when we come together, we’re like the pieces of a stained-glass window, made more beautiful by the diversity of size, shape, and color.
Here’s something I want you to consider: you don’t realize how powerful you are. One little photon by itself. . . it can’t do much. But when millions of photons come together and move in the same direction, you know what that’s called? That’s called a laser.
Think of the power of a laser. Anyone here ever had laser surgery? That’s the power of light to heal!
Think back to Jesus for a moment. It’s the Sermon on the Mount . . . I imagine Jesus sitting on a hillside in Galilee, his disciples gathered around. He’s trying to launch a movement. He’s attempting to usher in the Kingdom of God here on earth. Jesus is talking to them not so much as individuals, but a collective. But what he’s teaching them cannot be hoarded. It cannot be kept to themselves. (The movement will quickly die if it’s kept hidden.) This radical teaching of Jesus must be shared! It’s like he’s telling them: “I’m not teaching you so you can go and sit and fancy churches stockpiling my grace and my goodness and my love. No, I’m teaching you these things so you can go and share these things with the world. So you can shine the God-colors to all people in all places at all times through all situations.”
When people of the church see themselves as ambassadors of Christ’s message . . . deliverers of the Gospel. . . light-bearers for the world, I guarantee you that’s a church on fire! On the other hand, if the people of a church see themselves as passive recipients—enjoying or even hoarding the goodness, grace, love—I can tell you that’s a flat church, and soon to be a dead church. Jesus called his followers to shine his light into the darkness.
So as we begin our year-long celebrations of our 75th Anniversary of Chapel by the Sea, we made sure to include some emphasis, some way that we might even more intentionally shine our “God-colors” into the world.
Enter: “75 Acts of Service.”
As you leave today, each family is invited to take a booklet, complete with a stand for setting it on your kitchen counter (or somewhere that you’ll see it regularly). The booklet contains 75 prompts, simple acts of love and kindness and service. Each day you’ll flip the page to reveal a new prompt. The invitation and the challenge is this: perform one act of service each day for 75 days. Through these simple “75 Acts of Service,” we celebrate 75 years of Chapel by the Sea. What better way to honor 75 years of being a beacon of faith than acts of service—shining our “God-colors” for all the world to see!
Chapel, I don’t have to tell you that there’s more to faith than sitting underneath stained-glass windows on Sundays. You’ve been the stained-glass windows for the world . . . a community of faith radiating those beautiful God-colors for 75 years!
So Chapel, go and shine! Shine your green, red, blue, yellow. Shine, like the absolutely radiant church you already are. “A Beacon of Faith Shining Into the Future!” Go and bring out the God-colors in the world all around, you beautiful souls!
I can’t wait to see the God-colors shining through you these next 75 days. Let your light shine in 2024, Chapel by the Sea!