We are the Light of the World

In Matthew 5, Jesus gives the legendary Sermon on the Mount. In verses 14-16, the Lord says something that I think would be helpful for us to think about today:

“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.”

Jesus here calls us to be the Light of the World. His Light. This happens when we follow Jesus and seek to conform ourselves to his image in our own lives. This, of course, is only possible through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. We are that Light when we stand for the Gospel of Jesus and love people in such a way that draws others to take a closer look at our amazing Savior.

Becoming the Light, albeit imperfectly, is our first step. It is difficult to argue that the American Church is doing a great job of this today. As I’ve written about before, many have sided with heinous policies directed towards immigrants, blindly allied themselves with their political party at the expense of the Gospel, or essentially rejected the Gospel by placing secondary issues above it. The division we see every day in the political world similarly plagues the Church, dragging it into the muck and sapping it of its transformative power.

We have to reverse this trend. We all, regardless of political philosophy, must remember that we have been saved by a God who subjected himself to a death he did not deserve in order to rescue us from destroying ourselves in our sin. This is the message we have to bring to the world. Along with it, we are required to bring sacrificial love to those in need all around the globe. If we continue to look like extensions of our political parties, then we have truly failed this country.

Without the Church to bring the Light of Christ, the United States is doomed. The Church must band together in love, serving those who are broken and hurting in our midst. We become the Light of the World when we love like Jesus, the man who loved the most unlovable people on Earth. The world needs us to do so while there is still time. Jesus told us as much on the Mount that day nearly 2,000 years ago.