Sunday Sermon Summary-The Light of the World

Each week, our church sends out an enews e-mail on Wednesdays which informs us of what is coming up the next week....activites, studies, events, etc. It also tells us who will be preaching the following Sunday and what the title of their sermon will be. On Wednesday, I opened the enews e-mail; and the first thing I saw was the title of the sermon "Hope in Uncertain Times". After the few days prior to reading this and what I had experienced with my Lifelong Friend and her health and the loss of her son....I knew God was trying to tell me something through Pastor Ken.
Ken started the sermon by saying that we live in a dark world....John 1:1-5 says the following:
1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
Pastor Ken explained the the world is a dark place, and that we as humans tend to lose perspective in darkness. Everything is exaggerated in darkness. We may be uneasy or uncertain in darkness. Think about this....when you are at home in the dark and you hear a noise, don't you feel more uneasy or uncomfortable than if that noise occurs during the light? If you walk into a dark room and have to walk clear to the other side to turn on the lights, you may stumble or trip. Ken gave the example, and he even had a volunteer from the congregation, come up to show us. He said that if you stand on one foot and close your eyes, you have 1/6 of the balance than if you stand on one foot with your eyes open....try it and see what happens. Did you know that physical therapists determine overall health of a person by how long they can stand on one foot....how long they can balance? We need balance in our lives....darkness can diminish our balance significantly. I know from personal experience that things are "darker" at night.....not just in the physical sense of the word, but in the emotional sense of the word as well. I've gotten up many times, in the middle of the night, and felt a much deeper heartache or sadness than I have experienced during the day. What does this mean? It means that our world was such a dark place, is such a dark place, that Jesus was brought to it to add the light. How do we get out of the darkness? We have to have the light of Jesus....plain and simple....that's it. In Matthew 5:13-16, it says the following:
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.
14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
We are the salt, the flavor, of the earth. We are the light, we share the light of Jesus, by doing his work....by serving others. It is not our story to be told, it's His; and through His light....we can have light....then we share that light with others, so they may know Him and praise Him and build relationship with Him. We may share His story through happenings in our lives, but remember it's about JESUS! We live in uncertain times, and our world is a dark place; so cling to the light of Jesus. Light keeps balance and perspective. It gives hope to someone else....share your light!
"God whispers in our pleasures but shouts in our pain." CS Lewis!
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine! This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine....let it shine....let it shine....let it shine. Keep singing, you know the rest!