Life Ministries

Philippians 2:4-15 and Matthew 5:13-16
Let me begin today with a story;

    It was a cold bitter evening in Northern Virginia many years ago. The old man’s beard was glazed by winter’s frost while he waited for a ride across the river. His body was getting numb from the frigid north wind. He heard the hooves of horses galloping along the frozen pathway.
    He anxiously watched as several horsemen rounded the bend. He let the first pass on without an effort to get his attention. Then another one and another. Finally the last rider neared the spot where the old man sat like a frozen statue. As this one drew near, the old man caught the rider’s eye.
    The old man said, "Sir, would you mind giving an old man a ride to the other side? There doesn’t seem to be a passageway by foot. The rider replied, sure thing. Seeing the old man was unable to lift his half frozen body from the ground, he helped the old man onto the horse. He took the man not just across the river, but to his destination which was just a few miles away. Just as they neared the tiny cottage, the horseman’s curiosity caused him to inquire. Sir, I noticed that you let several other riders pass by without making an effort to secure a ride, then I came along and you immediately asked for a ride. I am curious why on such a bitter night you would wait and ask the last rider. What if I had refused?
    The old man looked the rider straight in the eyes and replied, "I have been around these here parts for a long time. I reckon I know people pretty good, the old timer continued. I looked into the eyes of the other riders and immediately saw that no one was concerned about my situation. It would have been useless to even have asked for a ride, but when I looked into your eyes, kindness and compassion were evident."  I knew then and there that your gentle spirit would welcome the opportunity to give me assistance in my time of need. Those heart-warming comments touched the horseman deeply.
    I am most grateful for what you have said, he told the old man. May I never get too busy in my own affairs that I fail to respond to the needs of others with kindness and compassion. With that Thomas Jefferson turned his horse around and made his way back to the White House.
    We have been learning from the Book of Philippians, and Paul writes that we are to “shine like stars in the universe as we hold out the word of life.” In our Call to Worship, Jesus said we are to “let our light so shine before men that they will see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven.”

    Notice that he does not say that we let our light shine in the church, but in the darkness of the world… “in a crooked and depraved generation” to be exact. Our relationship with God, and the difference He makes in our lives is not something we hide but something that we hold high and allow to shine in the darkness of the lives of those around us.
    You know, it is easy to forget how bad the situation of our lost friends and loved ones really is. The Bible says in Colossians 1:13 they are “prisoners in the domain of darkness”; in Ephesians 2:12 they are “without real hope in the world”…In 2^nd. Thessalonians 1:8 they are “headed for hell and judgment and face the wrath of God. It also says in Ephesians 2:1 that they are “spiritually dead in their trespasses and sins.” And, in Colossians 1:21 “enemies of God and cut off or (separated) from Him.” On the outside they may look like they have it all together, but inside they are dying, and they need the “word of life” that Paul says we are to “hold out” as a light in the darkness.
    1^st. Peter 3:15 says that we should “always be ready to give an answer for the hope that is in us” that’s part of our “shine.” Let me give you another story about a pastor who very creatively “let his light shine” while flying home from a conference; “He was dressed very informally and didn’t look like your typical minister. He settled into the last unoccupied seat, next to a well-dressed business man, with a Wall Street Journal under his arm. Before you know it, the man said, “I’m in the figure salon business. We can change a woman’s self-concept by changing her body…It’s really a profound and powerful thing”… The man was obviously very proud of his work and the company he worked for. The man went on to say; “I recently graduated from the University of Michigan’s School of Business, and I hope to eventually manage the Western part of the companies operation. “So, you work for a national organization?” the pastor asked. “You bet”, said the man, “We are the fastest growing company of our kind in the nation”. The pastor nodded his approval, and of course, the next thing the man said was? ”What do you do?” Well, the pastor’s pride began to swell a little, and rising to the competitive brag-swapping, the pastor said; “Well, we really have similar business interests. You are in the body-changing business, and I am in the personality-changing business. We apply “basic theocratic principles to accomplish indigenous personality modification.” Not wanting to feel stupid, the man replied; “Oh, I’ve heard of that!”…The man asked, ”Where is your office?”  The pastor replied, “We have many offices, in fact we have an office in just about every city, including Alaska and Hawaii”. The business man racked his mind to identify this huge company. Surely he must have read about it in his Wall Street Journal…The pastor went on to say; “Management has a plan to have an office in every country in the world by the end of the business era!” “How do they make it work?” the man asked. “Well, it’s a family concern; there’s a Father and a Son…and”…The man interrupts - “They must have a lot of money!” “Well, the boss never seems to run out;  it’s been said that he owns the cattle on a thousand hills!”… “Oh, so he’s into ranching then?”…“No, not really” said the pastor, “We just use that as a saying to indicate his wealth.” “What about the employees?” the man asked, “Oh”, said the pastor, “they have a Spirit that just pervades the entire organization.” “Do you have good benefits?”…“They’re out of this world!”… “You may not believe this, but I have holdings in a mansion that is being built for me right now for my retirement.” “One thing bothers me” said the man, “Why is it that I haven’t heard about this business before now?”… I don’t know”, said the pastor, “after all, we’ve been in business for over two thousand years!”  “Wait a minute”…“That’s right”, said the pastor, “I’m talking about the church”… “I should have known” said the man, “You know, I’m Jewish!”…To which the pastor replied, “Do you want to sign up?”
    Now, most of us would never be that creative in the way we “hold out the word of life”… But, we ought to let our light - our experience with God - shine every chance we get.  Once we have soaked up the light of God by being in his presence, we need to go into the darkness where the needs are. We can’t glow in the presence of God, because God will always outshine us. We need to go to the world where it is dark and let God’s light - our experience with God – shine…( like Moses when he came down from the mountain) - we need to let His light radiate from us.
    In 2 Corinthians 3:18 it says this: "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit"
    The Message Bible says it this way, "and so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and brighter, and more beautiful, as God enters our lives and we become like him." I like that!
    You know, we can rally against the darkness or we can shine light into the darkness…I hope that you will choose to shine the light…