We Are A People Of The Light
“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” ~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
I am aware that the best way to teach a lesson, especially to children, is to tell a story or sing a song. Not only am I aware of that, I am pretty much a proponent of it. However, there was a time in my life when I thought if I never heard “This Little Light of Mine” again, that would be perfectly all right.
We used to use that song all the time. At Camp Lawrence, we sang it every week, sometimes several times a week. The children really loved the song. They would sing it with great zeal and vigor. Schools often used that song, especially twenty years ago or so. Even today, when the song is sung, children “light up” as they sing it.
It does convey a wondrous mystery. Throughout this Easter season, we continue to proclaim that Jesus Christ is the Light of the World. If Jesus Christ is the Light, and if we claim to embrace the Lord, then His light must shine through in our lives.
In one of the gospels, Jesus told His followers that they are the light of the world. No one would ever light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket. No. They would put it on a lamp stand so that it could give light to the entire room.
Not only should we be light, we should always strive to be in the light. Today’s gospel points out that there are two groups of people: those who prefer the light and those who shun the light and prefer the darkness because their deeds belong to the prince of darkness rather than to the Lord of Light.
We live in a world that continually gives us choices. We can choose the Lord and all that He has taught us and given to us or we can choose the values of this world and, in the process, reject the Lord. We say that we are people of the light. We need to live as if we were as well.
FAITH ACTION: Let the Light of Christ shine through in all your words and deeds today.