Radiate the Light

Posted on by Japanese Congregational Church

Luke 2:1-20 / Exodus 34:29-35

Merry Christmas!  We are still in the 4th week of Advent and a couple of days away from Christmas…but what a joy to share in this worship together today!

Our theme during Advent has been “Eternal Light”.

  • First, we looked at Isaiah 9:2 as we considered the “Dawning of the Light”.
  • Then we visited John 1:1-14 as we looked at what it means to “Witness to the Light”.
  • Last Sunday during our Children’s Worship we looked at Ephesians 5:8 and shared with the children how we could “Live as children of the Light”.
  • Today, we will consider what it means to “Radiate the Light!” How Do we do this?

One of the most well-known blessings in the Bible is found in Numbers 6:24-26. We often use this as our benediction at the end of worship.

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace.”

  • This is a visual image of God shining his face – radiating his glory – on the people, on us.
  • Moses actually had his face shine after communicating with God. “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD.” Exodus 34: 29
  • Our faces may not radiate God’s light exactly as Moses’ face did, but our words and actions can radiate the light and love of God.

Christmas is a time of year when we consider the glory of God’s light. Warming together around a fire, the inner glow of Christmas memories past, spending time with family, singing carols, and enjoying favorite music and food are just some of the common activities. Even as we exchange gifts…our words and actions can be a way that we radiate God’s light.

But our challenge is for “after Christmas”. Come January, the tree will be taken down, decorations boxed up, lights put away, and that holiday “cheer” can fade pretty fast. How do we continue to radiate the light and love of God?

In Matthew 5 Jesus taught the following: ‘You are the light of the world’, and, as such, ‘Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven’ (Matthew 5:13-16)

Radiating Christ’s light isn’t to be a Christmas one-off experience….but to be a practice throughout the year. How do we do that? In Luke 2:8-15, we have some hints provided to us from the shepherds:

  • Find the source of the Light – the shepherds weren’t satisfied with the splendor of the angels and the fanfare and dazzle of light, but they wanted to see the reason and source of the light. ‘Let’s go … and see …  ‘When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” Luke 2:15
  • Joyful worship – when the shepherds saw the glory of God and the light that ‘shone around them’, and visited the child in Bethlehem…they couldn’t stop themselves from breaking out in praise to God.

Do our lives radiate God’s light in such a way…that others will notice it, and be interested in seeking the source of that light?  To be honest, that question alone makes me feel deficient and unworthy. Can I really live my life in such a way that I’ll be a shining light? I’d love to…but often I do not.

  • But here’s a secret that will relieve that stress. We were never called to actually BE the source of the light. Even though Jesus says to “let your light shine” he clearly means – let God’s light… shine in your lives.
  • Just as the moon has no light of its own – but reflects the light of the sun, we too have no actual light of our own. We are merely called on to reflect the light of “the Son”

How do we do that?

  1. Turn toward Jesus, face Jesus – in other words, have a close relationship with Jesus (remember our earlier example of Moses talking with God and actually having his face shine / reflect God’s glory?) The light can’t radiate from our face….if our face is not looking directly at Jesus.
  2. Spend time with Jesus – our efforts to radiate God’s light begin with focusing on Jesus and his presence in our life. The natural result of spending time with, getting to know, and soaking up his light – is that our lives will then naturally begin to reflect that light.

A seminary teacher once told us, “Anybody can ramble for 30-45 minutes. But the key is to be concise and memorable. Can you put your whole sermon into one sentence that everyone can understand and remember?” 

So here’s my attempt to give you a special Christmas gift in the form of a “sermon sentence”:

Know Jesus…to reflect Jesus!