We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won't need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don't fire cannons to call attention to their shining- they just shine.
Let us sing
Scripture Reading Matthew 5:14-16
You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but 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.
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Time Of Prayer
As we go into prayer let us sing: Seek Ye First
Let us pray
Lord, true light and source of all light, listen to our prayers. Turn our thoughts to what is holy and may we ever live in the light of your love. help us to follow the light and live the truth. In you, we have been born again as sons and daughters of light. May we be your witnesses before all the world. Let your radiance dawn in our lives, that we may walk in the light of your love with you as our leader. And let the radiance of your love scatter the gloom of our hearts. The light of heaven's love has restored us to life -free us from the desires that belong to darkness. You are the light that I long for and I will continue to follow you in good times and bad. Let Your Kingdom come, Lord, let Your will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. Thank you for your Holy Spirit who reminds me to do what is good and pleasing to you. Almighty God, thank You for all that you have done and continue to do.
I give all praise and glory to your most Holy and Precious Name, Jesus! Hallelujah to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. SO BE IT…Amen and Amen!
Let us share together in the Lords Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
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Let us sit, watch and reflect on when Jesus made our blinded eyes to see; He sought me.
Being the light means doing your best to live each day on purpose and in a way that’s pleasing to God. It means showing kindness and compassion to others and yourself. It’s about looking for opportunities to be more like Jesus, to lift others up, and to do the right thing. It also means making a mindful effort to make your light shine brighter and help others discover Jesus, the light of the world.
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Before we go to the word let us sing: Great Is The Lord
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Shine His Light
Jesus once said – I am the light of the world. None of us have much of a problem with that. Of course He is. But He also said something else – to His disciples. He said – You are the light of the world. Now, when you think about it, that’s mildly problematic. It would require some serious miracle, wouldn’t it? Well, especially for me.
For many years I walked in what some may call darkness. It didn’t feel dark. I’d have to say, life seemed ok. I didn’t need God or religion. But, deep down, I knew that something wasn’t quite right. I have to admit, I rarely thought about it, but there was something missing in my life. I would never have admitted it to myself, let alone anybody else. But, there was something missing, I wouldn’t have described it as darkness. But the longer I ignored it, the darker it became and my life was seriously going downhill. And all the time, on the surface, to other people – I looked as though I had it all together and I looked as though I was ok.
What I think my problem was, and for many of us, is this; we think the darkness is actually light. Jesus nailed it when He said this – Matt 6:20:
The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness.
When I first read this I thought, how does He know all this stuff? Jesus perfectly described my predicament. My problem was my unhealthy vision. I was looking at things, life – everything, the wrong way. I was looking at the world through my eyes. And that’s how many people are. And it’s why this world is in a mess. That's why wars rage throughout this world. That's why we see man's inhumanity to man on a colossus scale It’s why so many people are dissatisfied with everything. Whether they realise it or not they’re walking in darkness.
But then, Jesus walks into your life, Jesus who is the light of the world, He said so Himself – and I don’t know if you relate to this, but when we see ourselves our circumstances and our relationships and our jobs – when we see all of those things in His light, they look completely different. We see things for what they are. We see our bad motives and intentions for what they are.
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.
And that’s how I’ve felt ever since I gave my life over to Him. Now of course, there are many times when we want to hide away in the shadows. And there are times when we still delude ourselves – even though we think we’re walking in the light: listen to Jesus “Whoever says, ‘I am in the light,’ while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness.” 1 John 2:9
Fortunately, Jesus shines a fresh, clear, warm, bright light into our lives and we see things the way they really are. Do you really want to walk in darkness? Or do you want to be filled with light? The light that makes your heart glow with love for someone who’s going through a very dark patch in their lives. Or love for someone who’s been getting on your nerves. The light that makes you want to honour God with all your being. The light that just transforms your life and brings you a freedom and a joy that you just can’t begin to describe?
And when we’re in the business of letting Jesus transform our lives that way, everything changes, because all of a sudden, that light that Jesus shines into our life, shines out through our lives into the lives of others. That’s why Jesus said to all those people listening to Him:
You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but 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. (Matt 5:14–16)
The goodness that people see in us, in how we speak and what we do and how we react to difficult circumstances, starts to influence them. At times, people will shy away from that, thinking we are nothing but do-gooders. But, we keep on being good, helping, caring, loving, regardless of how we are treated. Regardless of how people react. Look at it like this, when you’re just waking up in the morning and someone opens the curtains and the bright sunlight streams in – we cover our eyes, get back under the blankest where it’s dark. It’s because we’re not used to the light. And people react the same way to the light of Jesus within us.
And so, one of the greatest miracles of Jesus in our lives, one of the great miracle makeovers that you and I experience, is that all of a sudden, one day, we find ourselves being the light of the world in other people’s lives. We may not feel as though we are. We may not even notice that we are; but we are. And this worlds needs that light.
My friend, you are the light of the world. We don’t just sit and shine we go out into the darkness of this world and we show kindness to everyone we meet. We don’t hide the light under a basket – but we get it out there, so it will shine into the lives of others.
Whenever something I’ve said or done, touches someone deeply, I truly feel that I’ve done something worthwhile. It’s a sense of privilege at having been there to shine the light of Jesus into their lives. As I think back to those of God’s people who have been the light in my world, I know that none of them feel as though they have done anything special. But they did. They shone the light of God so that I could see more clearly.
The greatest transformation of all, is the sort that makes us vessels in the hands of God, to bring newness of life and transformation into other people’s lives around us. And my prayer for you today, with everything that is happening, my prayer is this, as you hear God’s Word, become the light of the world, in your little part of the patch where you live. May you be blessed as you live out your amazing relationship with Jesus – and shine His light into a lost and hurting world. Amen
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Let us close our worship today with: Be Still For The Presence Of The Lord, remembering verse 2; for the glory of the Lord is shining all around. He is the Radiant King of light. And we must shine for His Glory.
The Lord bless thee and keep thee
The Lord make His face to shine upon thee
And be gracious unto thee
The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee
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