“How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world.”
― William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice
This past weekend in Corolla, NC, fourteen high school girls + a Youth Minister + a Youth Ministry Intern + two seriously good cooks/chaperones and I spent the weekend studying Luke 11:33-36, asking God for more of His Light to shine in our lives. This short passage delivers a powerful punch of truth:
33 You need a light to see. Only an idiot would light a lamp and then put it beneath the floor or under a bucket. No, any intelligent person would put the lamp on a table so everyone who comes in the house can see. 34 Listen, your eye, your outlook, the way you see is your lamp. If your way of seeing is functioning well, then your whole life will be enlightened. But if your way of seeing is darkened, then your life will be a dark, dark place. 35 So be careful, people, because your light may be malfunctioning. 36 If your outlook is good, then your whole life will be bright, with no shadowy corners, as when a radiant lamp brightens your home.
This new version, The Voice, doesn’t mince words.
In light of Advent, which means “coming,” I’d love to share a few beautiful moments from our very special weekend.
“Only an idiot” puts their lamp under a bucket. Ouch. The author of this passage compares and contrasts “an idiot” (most versions refer to this person as a foolish person) and an “intelligent” (referred to as “wise” in most versions) person. As we read between the lines of this first verse, we discovered how easy it is to actually put our light under a bucket. As I lit a small lamp (the one pictured above) and put a bucket (actually a silver mixing bowl) over it, the light went out. The lack of oxygen caused it to be extinguished.
From this little visual, we asked ourselves:
- Is Jesus the Light of the World?
- Is Jesus the Light of our world?
- And then, on the way home, I thought more about these questions, adding one more: If I believe Jesus is the Light of the World and the Light of my world, then how am I doing with this very important Light? Am I hiding it under a basket or letting it shine brightly (Matthew 5:16)?
- And even one step further (because you know I love taking things one step further)…how might I shine HIS light this Advent/Christmas season?
Will you join our conversation? I’d love to hear your stories of when you first believed in “The Light of the World.”
And, what simple ways do you shine HIS light, i.e., your light, during this oftentimes frustrating, hustle-bustle, oh-my-light-is-dimming-with-exhaustion time?
Let’s make this season even brighter by shining HIS light . . .
