I started to think about Matthew 5
Salt and Light
13"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
We need to be the light so badly right now. There is so much darkness, darkness at a time when we are looking forward to celebrate the arrival of Jesus, the light of the world. I feel like we, as "the Church", need to do a better job of being the light, especially in our own communities. There is so much work to be done in parts of the world where there is extreme poverty, but I've just been feeling a pull to be a light in the community I live in. I think it is so easy to just go through life being complacent, not looking into the eyes of the people that we pass by, just going about our business. Behind each of those eyes is a person, a soul, a life that Jesus died for. I need to start paying more attention.
A friend of my sister's posted something by Max Lucado that I really liked, it spoke to me
Dear Jesus,
It's a good thing you were born at night. This world sure seems dark. I have a good eye for silver linings. But they seem dimmer lately.
These killings, Lord. These children, Lord. Innocence violated. Raw evil demonstrated.
The whole world seems on edge. Trigger-happy. Ticked off. We hear threats of chemical weapons and nuclear bombs. Are we one button-push away from annihilation?
Your world seems a bit darker this Christmas. But you were born in the dark, right? You came at night. The shepherds were nightshift workers. The Wise Men followed a star. Your first cries were heard in the shadows. To see your face, Mary and Joseph needed a candle flame. It was dark. Dark with Herod's jealousy. Dark with Roman oppression. Dark with poverty. Dark with violence.
Herod went on a rampage, killing babies. Joseph took you and your mom into Egypt. You were an immigrant before you were a Nazarene.
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Oh, Lord Jesus, you entered the dark world of your day. Won't you enter ours? We are weary of bloodshed. We, like the wise men, are looking for a star. We, like the shepherds, are kneeling at a manger.
This Christmas, we ask you, heal us, help us, be born anew in us.
Hopefully,
Your Children
It's a good thing you were born at night. This world sure seems dark. I have a good eye for silver linings. But they seem dimmer lately.
These killings, Lord. These children, Lord. Innocence violated. Raw evil demonstrated.
The whole world seems on edge. Trigger-happy. Ticked off. We hear threats of chemical weapons and nuclear bombs. Are we one button-push away from annihilation?
Your world seems a bit darker this Christmas. But you were born in the dark, right? You came at night. The shepherds were nightshift workers. The Wise Men followed a star. Your first cries were heard in the shadows. To see your face, Mary and Joseph needed a candle flame. It was dark. Dark with Herod's jealousy. Dark with Roman oppression. Dark with poverty. Dark with violence.
Herod went on a rampage, killing babies. Joseph took you and your mom into Egypt. You were an immigrant before you were a Nazarene.
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Oh, Lord Jesus, you entered the dark world of your day. Won't you enter ours? We are weary of bloodshed. We, like the wise men, are looking for a star. We, like the shepherds, are kneeling at a manger.
This Christmas, we ask you, heal us, help us, be born anew in us.
Hopefully,
Your Children
It gets harder and harder for me to trust that God will keep my kiddos safe as they go into this world without me. I want so badly to just keep them inside these four walls where I can prevent the evils of the world from them.
I hope you will join me in being the light. If you know of any great ways to make an impact in the Minneapolis/St. Paul community, please share them in the comments section. I am really looking for something that isn't just a quick, one day, flippant involvement, I want something real, something that will connect me with people who I can't forget about the minute I enter back into my own little world.
Also, If you live in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and have thought about going to church but just don't know where to start, consider this your invitation to join my family for Christmas services. You can e-mail me for details if you are at all interested.
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