3 And he said to me, ‘You are my servant,
   Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’ 


4 But I said, ‘I have laboured in vain,
   I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the Lord,
   and my reward with my God.’

5 And now the Lord says,
   who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
   and that Israel might be gathered to him,
for I am honoured in the sight of the Lord,
   and my God has become my strength— 


6 he says,
‘It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
   to raise up the tribes of Jacob
   and to restore the survivors of Israel;
I will give you as a light to the nations,
   that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’

Matthew 5: 14 – 16 NRSV

14 ‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden.

15No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.

16In 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.

INTRO:  When you enter a room, what do you notice first?  Would it be the doors?  Some people notice the wall coverings.  Others notice the furniture. Still others notice the light.  Lamps.  The quality of the light coming from the lamps.  Natural light. Or light from electricity.  This sanctuary for example.  Isn’t it one of the blessings of this church the way the natural light streams into this sanctuary? 

Today, I would like to focus on just one aspect of the scripture texts:  the light…….Beautiful light that ___illuminates. _______________________________

In Isaiah we read that ”We shall be a light to the nations….”  Jesus says in Matthew: “Do not hide your lamp under a bushel, but put it on the stand for all to see.”  How do we understand the difference between the light we see streaming into this sanctuary and the  light that we have inside ourselves?

To understand completely let’s look first at the contexts for the scripture readings today. 

Lamps were important to the ancient Israelites for several reasons. Of course, there was no electricity, so you can imagine how important the candles and oil lamps were to them.  In these scriptures today, lamps have a much more profound meaning than simply allowing people to see in the dark:  light symbolized the divine presence………God ..…the light of the world.  Let’s consider the Temples.  Jesus believed in the sacredness of the Temple as a place to worship: He called the Temple His Father’s House. 

Let’s enter that Temple in  Jerusalem. We  go through massive courtyards with the noise of animals and people excited to make the pilgrimage, some from great distances, to this holy place, We climb ramps that smell wet from the early morning dew, past water systems, sections full of the sounds of conversations of  Jews and Gentiles milling together, and then barrier walls with their rough chiseled surfaces ……that separate………sections where only the Jews are allowed to enter,  then we  enter into the inner sections of the Temple where only the priests were allowed.  Finally ………….the most sacred space of all — the Holy of Holies. 

IN a world where idols were worshipped everywhere, what was it that first century Judeans found the most holy of all?? what was in the center of the Jewish Temple — in the Holy of Holies?   A lamp and a lamp stand.  A few spices and a golden table.  A lamp and a lamp stand as symbols of the presence of the One True God.

O.K. so the light represented God, but what does that have to do with us? 

In the history of Israel, there were two temples—and our texts for today were written right after both of these Temples were destroyed. Can you imagine if the center of your worship — the national center of your sacred worship, the rallying point of your ethnic and religious identity – had been destroyed?  How did the Israelites feel when this symbol —God’s divine presence — was ransacked?  Maybe exactly how we feel when we face news of the destruction by tsunamis and earthquakes ………… In response, the scriptures say:  Don't worry.

No more Temple.  Shine YOUR divine lights instead.  Cultivate YOUR holy lights— This is our holy work. At this time of Lent, we have a beautiful opportunity to cultivate our relationship with God and that inner light unique to each one of us.

What does it mean to live into the fullness of who we are in our faith in God? 

As Isaiah said:  “God who took us in hand….. from the moment of birth to be god’s servant,
 God loves each of us and numbers the hairs on our heads.” God created you to shine, but if your gifts are used for self alone, they are empty.  If they are used for the glory of God for good ……and love in this world, they are truly shining the light of God. As Austin Lewis wrote:  You are the Light of the World but the switch of faith ……..must be turned on.”

How then are we to be sure just what our unique inner light is?  These gifts from God we have that can communicate the love of God in the world?

Imagine you stand before a mirror, what you see in that reflection is not just your facial features, or your clothing, but you see as well all the unique gifts you have to give this world ……….to reflect the beauty of God’s love.  What makes you unique that you combine with your faith in God, the hope you find in God’s love. 

Or when you look in the mirror, you might see your ache at injustices in this world and know that you can lead others to address injustices, then put this lamp on the lamp stand and lead. 

When you look in the mirror, you might see a love of music and a love of singing.  You express the love of God that has been shown to you through teachers and family.   Then shine that light and give glory to God as you are singing. Sing your own songs.  


God said through Isaiah, "You're my dear servant THROUGH whom I'll shine."

AND YET what stops us from shining?  We become discouraged and desolate at times.  The world can work to switch off the light switch of our faith.  People in our lives can shame us and put us down.  The messages others share with us are sometimes not illuminating. 

Gifted dancers and actors who are told not to use those gifts. 

Fred Astaire, one of the most famous actors/ dancers of the 20^th c, was told at his first screen test: 

"Can't act. Can't sing. Balding. Can dance a little."

Why do others stop shining their lights?

Imagine you are a 12-year-old girl today, for example. You used to shoot goals in soccer and love playing with dolls and climbing trees and running free in the playground…….Until you turned twelve and then thirteen and your peers told you that those things were weird.  They told you that boys wouldn’t like you if you did that ‑if you outscored them on the playing field.  Or told you to look like Miley Cirus or Taylor Swift or the media-dictated idealized body.  They told you THAT was the way to shine.

We all endure variations of these experiences:  the putdowns suffered by Fred Astaire, or the pressure from societal messages and shame experienced by pre-teen girls we have endured some variations of the experience when our lights/ our lamps are not seen or acknowledged — 

It might be when our voices are not heard in a business meeting
— or when we are not listened to or acknowledged by our partners or friends.

What does God say to us in our discouragement…………..?  What does God say when the world tells us not to shine our lights?  Isaiah and Jesus tell us: “God formed you in the womb.  You are made for this work.  Don’t worry.  There is hope in the LORD.  ……………Go out and share that hope.”  And then

Something transcendently beautiful will happen in a world filled with the darkness of shame and fear. We are being asked to fill it with Light.  Eternal and everlasting light will shine.  

Don’t worry.  We don’t have to do this alone.  God is with us, and we have a community of Word and sacrament to support us in living into God’s promise to the world.  


Now the scripture is clear:  You are the light of the world — a statement of fact. 

Not ‘Maybe we are the light of the world. ‘  or ‘Sometimes we are the light of the world.’  ‘Or maybe next year we will be better and then we can be the light of the world.’   No waffling here:  We ARE the light of the world. 

So…….WITH GOD’S HELP…….. SHINE ON! …..Amen           


Amanda Harmeling

March 20, 2011