Jesus: Our Guiding Light in a Dark World

1. "So here I am in our downstairs space and there's all sorts of potential in this area just to see people come and enjoy life together, to be able to dance and to sing, to learn and to grow, to drink coffee and to be part of a community, to find a space where they can meet friends and enjoy each other's company. A place where we can encourage people to meet with Jesus, to pray and to know his grace and his blessing, to be just to be community. And so we're seeking to raise some money to refit this whole space. I hope you're getting an idea of how big it is and how impressive it could be." [38:33] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2. "I like the idea that we see the wisdom of defeating evil by turning the other cheek, because that's the only way that we can make enemies into friends. I like the idea that to receive, the thing that we do is to give and to be generous. And that makes sense somehow, that a generous heart, a generous spirit, attracts that sort of environment around us. I like the idea when Jesus says, you can approach God as dada, abba, papa, father. As we look at Jesus, the light, we see other people in his light. We see the beggars and the outcasts." [43:35] (48 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3. "The astronomer wants to understand the light. The astronomer looks at the stars and sees the waves. Or are they particles of light bending? Or are they going straight to our eye and marvels at the ancient and mysterious and beautiful light that tells us so much about so long ago. And there the astronomer finds Jesus, the light of the world. The artist, the artist wants to see the light, wants to picture its dancing across the seascape, or reveals new designs or hidden depths or new perspectives, new angles. The artist wants to expose truth and bring a lightness and a joy and a freedom and a fresh view to the thing that they want us to look at." [45:30] (70 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4. "The producer uses light to help us to focus on the thing they want us to think about, to show us another story, to help us see a bigger picture, to help us see something new and fresh, to present new ideas and a new focus. Jesus said, I am the light of the world. And of course, it's not just jobs it's not just roles. I could have talked about lighthouses and neon lights and advertising and torches. I could have talked about infrared heaters and stained glass windows. I could have talked about traffic lights and night lights. We have tvs and laptops and screens that are the sources of our lights. We could have talked about rainbows and a host of other sources and forms of light." [49:16] (54 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5. "The nation of Israel was meant to be a light to the nations. The jewish leaders that Jesus was talking to were custodians of this idea, that Israel was meant to be a light to every other nation, to show them how they can live well in their society, how they can organize the functions and the organizations, the structures of their society, to bless the poor, to help the needy, to look after one another, to honour God and to treat each other well. They were meant to be an example to every other nation on how to be a good country, how to be a good nation. And as Jesus stands up and says, I am the light of the world. There was a huge criticism there that Israel had missed it, that it had failed to live up to its God given destiny, to be a light to other nations." [56:15] (53 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6. "At his birth that we celebrate at Christmas, there were lots of lights. There was the angel that appears to mary in glorious light. There was the angel choir that comes onto the hillside outside Bethlehem, singing to the shepherds, declaring the glory of God and the wonder of the fact that Immanuel, God is with us. We have the light in the sky that guides the magi from the east right over to the place where Jesus laid in the manger, the mysterious, the beautiful the wonderful, the glorious light all around, the light of Jesus. And when John records it, he says, the true light that lights everyone has come into the world." [57:53] (48 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


7. "The other image that Jesus used wasn't a single light on a lampstand inside a house. It was a city set on a hill. It was a bunch of lights together that somehow demonstrate a welcome and a warmth and a. An opportunity, a destination, a place to gather, a place to be, a place to come and enjoy life in all its fullness. Together. We are a city set on a hill as we light up our neighbourhood with the programs and activities that we have, as we tell of the testimonies and what Jesus has done in each other's lives, in our life, in my life, in your life. And as we tell the stories that meet each other, we are like together. A city sat on a hill. That's the church. It's the church in the city. It's the church even of Kingsland." [01:02:11] (54 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


8. "Jesus, the light of the world. We're attracted by the warmth and the brilliance, the brilliance of his teaching, the prospect of his miracles, and the fact that we see everything else in his light. Jesus, the light of the world. Ancient and beautiful, mysterious and clever. Truth and lightness and joy. Food for the soul and for the skin. Bringing light to what's hidden, inviting us to live in the joy of his presence. Coming out of the shadows, cutting away the rubbish, dealing with what's inside. The light to help us find our way home, to keep us safe, to focus on the right thing, the big thing, the new thing. Jesus, the light of the world, shows us goddess, he's the new Israel. Jesus, the light of the world. God with us. Jesus, the light of the world, and you're the light of the world. All of those things are true of you." [01:04:44] (79 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)