Will You Be Light?

On the first Sunday in Advent, we began Year A in the Revised Common Lectionary.

What that means is that the majority of gospel readings this year will be from the book of Matthew.

You may have heard me say that Matthew is not my favorite.

The reason is that Matthew talks about a lot about judgment and exclusion from the Kin-dom, using the phrase there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” five times.

Personally, I just prefer my Bible to be a little more grace-filled.

Also, the book of Matthew, although considered the most “Jewish” of the gospels, has been used to justify persecution of Jews throughout the Christian era.

What I hadn’t heard before I began preparing for this sermon is that Matthew is also considered the “Gospel of the Outsider”.

When I thought about it, of course it made sense.

After all, Matthew was a tax collector—a Roman collaborator who was ostracized from the Jewish community.

But Jesus gathered him as one of his disciples.

It gave me a new appreciation for Matthew and what he had to overcome as a follower of Jesus.

Which brings me to the Magi.

They were also outsiders.

They were Gentile astrologers.

They were not faithful Jews, but they were educated in the Hebrew scriptures.

They didn’t use prayer or prophesy to find the Messiah.

They used a star.

Despite being outsiders, they play a part in Jesus’ story.

Just like the tax collectors, sinners, and outcasts that were his followers.

I don’t know about you, but I take great comfort in that.

You see, being church isn't about everyone believing exactly the same thing.

It’s not about everyone following the same path.

It’s about us all being part of the same story—Jesus’ story.

You see, Jesus was a teacher.

And the lesson he wanted his followers to understand is there is another way of being.

A way that is not tainted by our human weaknesses—not corrupted by greed or anger or pride or hate.

It’s the way that is grounded in our divine essence—it springs out of hope and peace and joy and love.

It is the way to the Kin-dom

Today’s first lesson from Isaiah talks about darkness—"darkness still covers the earth and dense clouds enshroud the peoples”.

Have you ever been in total darkness?

Darkness so extreme that it didn’t matter if your eyes were open or closed, you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face?

It doesn’t just affect your vision; it affects your whole sense of being.

It affects your ability to orient yourself to the world.

And it doesn’t take much light to make a difference.

Just a tiny pinprick of light can dispel darkness.

Many people living in first-century Israel were living in metaphorical darkness.

All were living under the oppression of Roman occupation.

For everyone but the client kings and tax collectors who collaborated with their authoritarian occupiers, it was a hard, subsistence life.

For those on the margins—widows, orphans, the physically and mentally ill, sinners, and foreigners—life was even harder.

Jesus is the light that dispelled their darkness.

And his isn’t a tiny pinprick of light.

Jesus is a shining beacon to those who were living in the darkness of oppression.

That is why we call him the light of the world.

The story of the Magi—whether you think of them as literal or metaphorical characters in Jesus’ story—is a story about light.

They followed a star—a bright light in the dark sky.

And it led them to Jesus—God’s light made human in a helpless baby.

Jesus brought hope to people living in despair.

He preached about peace and truth and justice.

He offered us a better way of being.

He challenged us to also be light.

Although John wrote that Jesus said, “I am the light of the world”, Matthew wrote that Jesus said, “YOU are the light of the world”.

He challenged his disciples to be light.

And, as followers of Jesus, I believe we are also challenged to be light.

There are many ways for us to be light.

We are light when we demonstrate God’s love to others through our ministries.

We are light when we exhibit our love for creation by recycling, by caring for animals, and by advocating for better stewardship of our natural resources.

We are light when we share our faith—and our doubt; when we open ourselves up to others and witness how we are part of Jesus’ story.

We are light when we show compassion for others, especially when we share personal stories of our own trials and weaknesses.

We are light when we allow our gifts to shine, especially when it is in service to others.

And remember, it only takes a tiny bit of light to dispel the darkness.

And we each have within us the light of Jesus just waiting to burst forth.

So much about being light is about sharing.

Sharing God’s love with others.

Sharing bits of ourselves.

But I also believe that part of being light is calling out darkness.

Much the same way that Jesus challenged the status quo.

He challenged cultural norms of exclusion.

He challenged patriarchy.

He flipped tables—both literally and metaphorically.

So, if you accept this idea that the story of the Magi is about light, I think it begs the question: do we accept Jesus’ challenge to the “the light of the world”?

Do we accept the challenge to be part of his story?

To be better? To lay a foundation of truth and justice for the building of the Kin-dom?

Do we accept his challenge to hope? To console those who despair?

Do we accept his challenge to love? Not only those who are like us but also those who we might consider our enemies.

Do we accept his challenge to call out darkness when we see it? To flip the tables that need flipping?

The Magi were trailblazers.

We don’t need to be so bold.

We only need to follow the path that Jesus has set before us.

The world began with, “Let there be light”.

Let it begin anew with, “You will be light”.

May this contemplation on God’s word keep our hearts and minds on Christ Jesus.

Amen.