Sermon: "You Are the Light"

STEWARDSHIP SERIES: LIGHT THE WORLD
“You Are the Light”
(First in the Series)
Matthew 5:14-16
October 9, 2011


“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but 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.”


A missionary, home on leave, was shopping for a globe to take back to her mission station. The clerk showed her a reasonably-priced globe, and another one with a light bulb inside. “This is nicer,” the clerk said, “but, of course, a lighted world costs more.”

A lighted world costs more.

The question we want to try to answer today is: What does it cost to light the world?

Our Stewardship Theme this year is “Light the World.” Our theme verse is Matt. 5:14-16. We will be spending the next four weeks studying those three verses. I hope you don’t get tired of hearing them. Maybe you’ll have them memorized by then.

I want to take the time to unpack them completely, piece by piece:
1) You are the light of the world (Today)
2) Let your light shine before others
3) That they may see your good works
4) And give glory to your Father in heaven

We might summarize those four themes with four “G” words:
1) You are the light – Glow
2) Let your light shine – Go
3) That they may see your good works – Give
4) And give glory to your Father in heaven – Glorify

Today we think about the meaning of Jesus’ words – “You are the light of the world.”

I’d like to ask three questions about this verse:
1) Who is the light?
2) What kind of light are we supposed to be?
3) What will it cost us?


1) Who is the light?
The answer seems obvious: “You are the light of the world.” It’s the people Jesus was talking to at the Sermon on the Mount – the disciples, the crowds, the ones addressed in the Beatitudes – the poor in spirit, the mourning, the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart, etc.

By extension, Jesus means us too – We are the light of the world.

But if you remember much about what Jesus said, you might recall his words from another gospel – John 8:12…

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

And in John 9:5…

“As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

So which is it? Are we the light of the world or is Jesus the light of the world?

The answer is, We both are. Jesus is the light of the world and we are the light of the world.

We might think of it this way:
Jesus is the light of the world.
We are the light of the earth.
The Greek word the New Testament uses is the same for both, “cosmos,” which means “world.” That’s where we get words like “cosmopolitan.”

I am the light of the cosmos. You are the light of the cosmos. But Jesus and we are light in different ways.

Jesus is the source of the light. We are a reflection of the light he gives. Look at John 1 (Prologue):
“In the beginning was the Word…”

John is talking about the eternal Christ. Jesus is the Word.

“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.” (John 1:3-4)

“The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.” (John 1:9)

John is saying that Jesus is the source of light from the very beginning.

John of Revelation testifies that Jesus, the Lamb, will also be the light at the end of time. Talking about the new Jerusalem that will “come down from heaven” at the end of time, he says...

“And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” (Rev. 21:23)

So Jesus is the eternal source of light in a way that we can never be.

But Jesus gives us a clue about the way we are the light in John 9:5. Jesus said …

“As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

When Jesus was in the world as a man, he was the light. But when he was crucified, resurrected, and ascended into heaven, he gave us the task and the responsibility of being the light of the earth.

We can’t be the source of light for the whole universe the way Jesus is, but we are called to be the light of the earth, in the same way we are called to be the “Body of Christ” in the world. The church, the body of believers, is to be the physical presence of Christ in the world, his hands, his feet, his light – now that Jesus is present spiritually.

We are called not to be the source of the light, but its reflection in the world.

Robert Fulghum, the author of “Everything I Need to Know I learned in Kindergarten,” wrote about a teacher he met in Greece named Alexander Papaderos:

On the island of Crete, next to the mass graves of Germans and Cretans who fought each other so bitterly in World War II, Papaderos founded an institute for peace which has a become source of bridge-building between the two countries.

At the end of a lecture, when Papderos asked, “Are there any questions?”, Fulghum piped up, with all seriousness, “What is the meaning of life?” To his surprise, Papaderos said, “I will answer.” He reached into his hip pocket and fished out of a leather billfold a small round mirror about the size of a quarter and said …

“When I was a child during the war, we were poor and lived in a remote village. One day, on the road, I found broken pieces of a mirror. A German motorcycle had been wrecked in that place.

“I kept the largest piece. By scratching it on a stone, I made it round. I began to play with it as a toy. I became fascinated that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine – in deep holes and crevices and dark closets. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places I could find.

“I kept the little mirror. As I grew up, I would take it out and continue the game. As I became older, I understood it as a metaphor for what I might do with my life. I came to understand that I am not the light or the source of the light. But light—truth, understanding, knowledge, is there, and it will shine in many dark places only if I reflect it.

“I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design and shape I do not know. Nevertheless, with what I have, I can reflect light into the dark places of the world -- and change some things. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. That is what I am about. That is the meaning of my life.” [From It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It.]

So, who is the light of the world?

The truth is, Jesus is and we are, each in our own unique ways, Jesus as the source, and we as the reflection.

If we are the light of the world, the next question arises…

2) What kind of light are we supposed to be?

I’ve already said we are reflections of the light of Jesus. But Jesus gives us a couple of images, word pictures, to give us a better idea of the kind of light he wants us to be:

First, he compares us to a city built on a hill…

“A city built on a hill cannot be hid.” (Matt. 5:14)

The image is of a city lit up at night.

In Jesus’ day, the lights would not have been as bright, but you can imagine a place like Jerusalem, a city built on a hill, lit up with lamps and lanterns and torches. It would be visible for miles.

Picture a modern city at night. The lights are so bright they are even visible from space.

The second image he compares us to is a lamp placed on a lampstand…

“No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.” (Matt. 5:15)

From those two images – a lighted city at night on a hill and a glowing lamp on a stand in someone’s home – I get the picture that Jesus is telling us that we are meant to be a beacon to a world walking in darkness, and we are meant to be a flashlight to those we live and work with every day.

In other words, we are to let our light shine to the whole world and we are to let it shine right close to home.

We are to stand out. We are to make a difference.

If you were lost, wandering in the darkness, and all of a sudden you saw the glow of a hilltop city in the distance, wouldn’t that make you feel safe?

Or if you’re at home, stumbling down the hall in the dark, trying to find the bathroom, doesn’t it help if someone turns on a light?

Jesus is telling us that we have a job to do. We are to light the world. We can be a beacon of hope to people living thousands of miles away and we can be a light of comfort and security to the people right here in our community.

Jesus has given us the light. We have to go out of our way to hide it, like putting the lamp under the basket.
But we don’t want to do that. We want to let our light shine.

The last question takes us to the “bottom line”…

3) What will it cost us?

A lighted world does cost more, not just when it comes to globes, but when it comes to us being the light of the world.

It cost Jesus something.

It cost him leaving heaven and coming to earth in the form of a servant.

It cost the pain, suffering, and humiliation of death on a cross.

But he knew it was worth it because he could not leave the world lost in darkness.

We should suspect it will cost us something too.

We are called to Light the Way.

And when we catch a glimpse of the difference it can make in the lives of others, near and far, we’ll know it’s worth it too.

Let me list four things it will cost us to be the light of the world.

First, it will cost us Prayer. One of the most important ways we can light the world is through prayer. Prayers make a difference. Prayers cause things to happen. We need to be faithful in prayer.

Second, it will cost us Time. We can be light to the world by taking time to…
Read to a child…
Mentor a teenager…
Visit a senior

It takes time for worship, study, fellowship, service. It takes time to share what Jesus means to you with others.

Third, it will cost us Money. You knew I couldn’t get through stewardship sermon without talking about money. It takes money to fund the ministries of the church. To buy the literature, pay the utilities, provide insurance, fund the worship services, get our name out in front of the community, to take care of the buildings.

Not everything costs money, but we are fooling ourselves if we think we can really shine for free.

Fourth, it will cost us Love. This is the best way we can be light –through loving others. There are lots of people searching for love. They want to know – does God love me? Does FUMC love me? Let your light shine through your love.

You are the light of the world. Let’s go out and share the light and be the light. Amen.