Light

"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden." (Matthew 5:14)

One evening, just before midnight, I was walking along the taxiway of my local airport. As I approached the end of the taxiway, I noticed that the acres of tall grass in the vast field at the end of the runway were twinkling with the flickering lights of fireflies. My immediate thought was, “That’s us—you and me!”

As I warmed myself through this imagery and sense of connection, I noticed a regimented strobe light just above the vague horizon: an approaching small aircraft. It was turning onto its final approach, coming into alignment with the orange and yellow lights lining the runway. Soon, it was safely on the ground and guided by the blue taxiway lights toward the ramp and on to its hangar.

Suddenly, the meaning of Jesus’ words, “You are the light of the world,” became a little clearer. We are fireflies flittering around in the darkness, sporadically revealing God’s light to the world—a bit like the passing billboards and commercial signs along the highways of life. How brightly we shine is according to our own desires and God’s leading.

The church at large is very similar to an airport—not a home, but a base of operations. It is there that we refuel, refresh, fellowship, and receive repairs. God draws many of us closer to Him, forming the reliable runway and taxiway lights of the church so that others can identify the path, safely approach and land, refuel, and then return to the air toward destinations according to His will.

This caused me to think specifically of you. We are all differing forms of light in God’s Kingdom. If we have anything truly worthy of praying for, it is that we collectively find and maintain our place as the keepers of the light within us. We should pray that the "fireflies" in the Kingdom are drawn closer to God, falling into alignment to burn more brightly and consistently as the runway lights of new airports—new places to land, refuel, and set out again.

One thing is clear: the earthly world is getting brighter with light pollution, while the spiritual world is getting darker. Evil takes many forms; today, its most cunning and successful forms are indifference and preoccupation. The list of things that occupy our day and limit our quality time with God is overwhelming. There is no point in listing them; we each know which ones stand between us and Him. This is the spiritual warfare of our time—clearing away the things that compromise our ability to fellowship with God and each other.

So, each day, let us pray for one another—that we find our place as reliable keepers of His light to the glory of God and as a welcome beacon to those still trying to find their way in the darkness. Let us praise God for each other and the testimony we provide by our very existence. I pray and praise God for you, as I hope you will for me, because we “…are the light of the world.”

mgb