You Are the Light: Let It Shine

So I'm gonna end my sermon with what I say to the kids who come up into the communion rail, and they put their little hands like this because they just want a blessing, and I say, God loves you. Go shine God's light wherever you go. Go shine God's light wherever you go and know that the source of that light is the eternal light, our God of love. [00:12:48] (27 seconds)  #ShineGodsLight

So if as Christians, we come together in community, and we put our little flames together, our little lights together, suddenly, the world can be brighter. The world can be good again. The darkness will not overcome it. And so whether you have your little light in your little bedroom, or you're saying, come on, Christians, let's go out into the darkness together, that little light is yours, and it comes from your good and gracious God. Because truly, God is the light that we reflect out into the world, and it's why our last verse says, Jesus gave it to me, so I'm gonna let it shine. [00:10:30] (40 seconds)  #TogetherWeShine

We are light out in the world, whether we like it or not, because we are made in God's image, and God is the true light, the light that cannot be overcome by darkness, and we get a tiny little speck of that to reflect out into the world. [00:02:17] (16 seconds)  #ReflectHisLight

Because it says in our scriptures that this light is supposed to illuminate. It's supposed to shine light on our good works and give glory to God in heaven. Because our light doesn't come from ourselves, it comes from God. And so our ability to do the hard work of being a light in the darkness comes only from God, and it is who we should give glory to when we do it. So if we're out there just showing love, but we're not saying, I do it because I'm Christian, and I want you to join me in this good work, this hard work, then we're not doing the full extent of our shining. [00:04:56] (32 seconds)  #GlorifyGodInAction

And then she says, but now I want you to imagine that your tiny little piece of sand, your little light, is a reflection of God's light that no one else has ever reflected before, no one else ever will be able to reflect again, and only a reflection that you can hold. You have a very special light out in the world, and it gives light into the world and light into and giving glory to God. For God delights in you, delights in your light, and wants to see it spread out into the world. [00:12:08] (40 seconds)  #YourUniqueLight

What's also intriguing about this statement, you all, it's y'all, by the way. Y'all I'm in Northern Californian, this is not good for me. Y'all are the salt of the earth. Y'all are the light of the world. And so we're not supposed to do this on our own. I'll keep talking about this, but we're not one little candle flame in the midst of darkness. We are one amongst many that are to shine God's light into the world. [00:02:33] (24 seconds)  #ManyLightsOneWorld

So what do we do with this light? What do we do with it? And it can't be snuffed out. I know that's a verse that we've all learned, that either Satan or someone can it out. That's not true. If we believe in the declarative statement of that sentence, you are it. You are the light, nothing's gonna blow it out. But we can hide it, can't we? [00:02:56] (20 seconds)  #DontHideYourLight

And so sometimes it feels like that. It feels like our light is so big in our little section of the world, but if we try to tackle the world's evils, the world's darkness, it's not possible. Our little light isn't gonna do a single bit of good. But again, this is, y'all are the light of the world. [00:10:08] (22 seconds)  #TinyLightBigImpact