Are you scared of the dark? Some of you are. I certainly used to be. Truth be told, I still don’t love it, especially if I am alone.
When I was young, I would have my parents leave the lamp in my bedroom on, and then turn it off after I had fallen asleep. That way, I would not have to deal with the dark. Of course, on occasion I would wake up in the middle of the night and pull the covers up a little tighter, adding an extra layer of cotton protection between me and the dark unknown. Can anyone relate?
Jesus talked about the darkness. So did the prophet Isaiah. In fact, God has preserved a number of references to the dark in our Bible . . . especially as a morally depraved backdrop against which the Light of God’s holiness can shine.
Physical Darkness is scary because it creates many unknowns. What was that sound? Is that a shadow? Without lightbulbs, we are left to our imaginations to answer these questions . . . and this can create fear.
Spiritual Darkness is also scary. What happens after death? Is there meaning in life? Without Jesus Light, we are left to our imaginations to answer those questions . . . and this can create despair.
Though we have come to know Jesus as our Savior, we sometimes wake up to the reality that our world is still living in the shadows of darkness. When this happens we sometimes want to pull the cover of our Christian community around us closer, and create greater distance between us and the world. However, is this what we are called to do? Is this how Christians are supposed to live inside this dark world? Is this how a group of blessed/happy people are supposed to live?
Jesus didn’t think so.
In fact, Jesus speaks to His followers (us), who are following Him inside a dark world (our world), and challenges us to shine as light. How does that work? What does that mean?
This Sunday morning at Wildwood Community Church in our 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 worship services, we will be continuing our series on Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” by looking at Matthew 5:11-16. Make plans to join us as we see what it means to be salt and light inside a world that rejects us. Remember, we are not alone! I look forward to worshipping with you on Sunday!