“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be
hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp
is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the
same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will
praise your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:14-16
We’re soon coming upon our Serve The City weekend at Next Level Church. At
all of our locations, we will step out from our homes and church buildings to
help people who would, in some cases, not otherwise be blessed this way.
Cleaning up school yards, painting walls, insulating homes for the winter,
reaching out with tangible actions to become the hands and feet of Jesus.
Just outside of our usual circles of life is an entire city or town or
neighborhood. People live in them, hundreds or thousands of “ones” in need. A
woman sitting in a chair, wondering why no one calls or visits, thinking: is
this all there is to the life God gave her in her later years? A man working
two jobs to pay the mortgage and keep up with bills, knowing the home he is
providing for his family is in need of repairs but not having the time, or the
extra money, to do them. Children seeing their lives turned upside down at
home, no longer safe at night, sometimes taken away from everything they’ve ever
known.
Loneliness, frustration, even desperation. We’ve felt this ourselves from
time to time. For others, it can be a constant companion. We as Christians are
a city on a hill, a light to the world. But how often do we stay in our own
city, afraid to look left or right at other cities beside us, filled with
people who need our touch and our words?
There will always be people in need. Lately, that need has felt
overwhelming. Puerto Rico, Texas and Florida falling under storms. The west
coast losing homes to wildfires. Fear and anger in the aftermath of another
shooting. By ourselves, we can’t help everyone. We can’t visit everyone who
needs companionship or a broken porch railing repaired.
But Jesus can. You and I are not alone when it comes to responding to His
call to serve others. Millions call themselves Christians, and all are called
to help the Ones who need His healing touch. If we work together, then His will
is accomplished.
Today and tomorrow, look left and right, and truly see one thing, one act of
kindness, one life-giving word, one touch needing to be given, then do it. Just
one. Tomorrow, look again, and do that. One act, multiplied throughout His
kingdom, becomes a movement. A movement of Jesus’ Spirit reaching from our
personal “cities on the hill” to those around us.
A phrase I’ve heard often lately goes something like this: Sometimes we are
the only Gospel people will read. Maybe that’s true, but we can hope that when
people “read” the Gospel of our lives, they will begin to understand a little
better what our personal faith in God is about. If so, there might come a day
when they want to read more.
Holy Father, fill us with your Spirit, break our hearts for those in need
around us and lead us one step at a time toward the “one” You would have us
serve, today, tomorrow and throughout our lives.
Comments
Post a Comment