Light on the Hill

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it 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. (Matthew 5:14-16)

Our two readings seem contradictory. Jesus in the gospel of John says, I am the light of the world. Jesus in the gospel of Matthew speaking to his followers says, you are the light of the world. 

Well, what is it? Is Jesus the light of the world or are his followers the light?

First and foremost, Jesus is the light of the world. Now, not everyone sees this light yet. But my faith says, in the end, all will see that Light and as Philippians 2 tells us,

every knee will bend,

    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue will confess

    that Jesus Christ is Lord.

For those who see it now, for Christians, it is clear. Jesus is the light of our world. As the church and as Christians, Jesus is our world.  

That Jesus is our light and our world, and that we embrace this light and take this light into our hearts, gives way to something beautiful. We, his followers, too, become the light of the world. 

A couple weeks ago I mentioned how the moon is used as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, like the full moon, reflects the light of the Son onto an endarkened world, enlightening that world.

Well, we as Christ followers, the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us, become light, a light that reflects the light of Christ. We, thanks to the spirit of Christ abiding within us, reflect, like the moon, the light of the son of God to the world. 

So, there’s no contradiction. Christ is the sun and light to the world. We are the full moon, reflecting the sun, and are a light to the world as well. 

Let us be clear here. The light is not our creation. Self-help and self-improvement doesn't magically create us as light. The light comes from the one who is Light, our Lord God! 

God is Light, I John 1:5 tells us. God is the light that alights the Son. The Son’s light is reflected by the Holy Spirit which in turn enlightens us. 

The light is one and the same but refracted in three different ways. Alas, the Trinity!

One last thing as we celebrate this sanctuary’s 175th birthday. To borrow a metaphor from John Winthrop almost 400 years ago, a metaphor Winthrop himself borrowed from the Sermon on the Mount, we the church, the community of Christ, are that city on a hill enlightened by the light of God.

What does this mean for our lives in the world? What is the effect for us, the church, and we as Christians? John Winthrop tells us in his famous sermon titled, A Model of Christian Charity, or in modern terms, A Model of Christian Love. It is a sermon the ancestors here in 1850 would have known, though by then some 220 years old. 

In that sermon, Winthrop preaches that we, the church, are to be a model of God’s love to the world. We are to be akin to a city doing the holy work of love, caring for one another, assuring all are taken care of, mirroring God’s love toward one another, a love that shines bright. 

Imagine a community, a state, a nation, a world governed from top to bottom by the light of Christian love. Imagine a world where from top to bottom, love-immersed justice and wisdom-infused mercy reigns supreme in the hearts of its citizens. That is what Winthrop imagines for his city on the hill. He preached,

Now the only way to avoid this shipwreck, and to provide for our posterity, is to follow the counsel of Micah, to do just[ice], to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God. For this end, we must be knit together, in this work, as one man. We must support each other in brotherly affection. We must be willing to [reduce] ourselves of our [own surplus], for the supply of others’ ne[eds]. We must uphold [mutual relationships and dealings] together in all meekness, gentleness, patience and liberality. We must delight in each other; make others’ conditions our own; rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in our work, as members of the same body. [This is how we] shall keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. The Lord will be our God, and delight to dwell among us, as His own people, and will command a blessing upon us in all our ways, so that we shall see much more of His wisdom, power, goodness and truth, than formerly we have been acquainted with. We shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies; when He shall make us a praise and glory that men shall say of succeeding [settlements], “may the Lord make it like that of New England.” For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. 

So, on this 175th anniversary Sunday, may we each be good citizens on the hill. May the light we are shine bright. May the love we know be a lighthouse in the fog of our times. May the grace that saves us be modelled in us to a culture that has lost its way. 

May we remember that simple rule that is the best of guides - do onto others, no matter who they are, as you’d have done unto you. This is the Jesus way. Amen.