Be the Light
By Rev. Heidi L. Barham | March 15, 2026
Click here to listen to the service
Read Ephesians 5:8 - 14
We don’t often take time to reflect on our church’s mission statement, so perhaps this would be a good time to be reminded of what it says:
Read Ephesians 5:8 - 14
We don’t often take time to reflect on our church’s mission statement, so perhaps this would be a good time to be reminded of what it says:
A Christian community, seeking to be a “light on a hill,” serving God and neighbor through witness, love and mission from our doorsteps to the ends of the earth.
We are a Christian community…
That is seeking to be a light on a hill…
while serving God and serving our neighbor through our witness, our love and our mission…
not just inside of these four walls, behind all of this beautiful stained glass, but all the way to the ends of the earth... however far that may take us.
It calls to mind the words of Jesus found in Matthew 5 (14 – 16):
That is seeking to be a light on a hill…
while serving God and serving our neighbor through our witness, our love and our mission…
not just inside of these four walls, behind all of this beautiful stained glass, but all the way to the ends of the earth... however far that may take us.
It calls to mind the words of Jesus found in Matthew 5 (14 – 16):
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
In these days of uncertainty, it is important for us, as the church, to never lose sight of who we are and whose we are... and the call for us to BE THE LIGHT. And, we cannot afford to let our focus shift from our mission, even as we are faced with the chaos and confusion that is going on all around us.
As our text says, we are called to be children of light, which is why for our time together this morning, I want to invite our attention to a simple theme: BE THE LIGHT.
It never ceases to amaze me how the Lectionary texts for any given week... although planned out many years in advance... so often speak to the current situations that we find ourselves living in. And this week’s text is no different.
Six years ago, when this text came up in the Lectionary, we were coming face-to-face with a global pandemic that was beginning to take us into total shutdown.
Fast forward six years... and we are once again living in what some people would describe as another very dark time, filled with fear and uncertainty. People are struggling to make sense of what is going on... questioning what will happen next... and wondering if we will survive in the meantime.
But as our text reminds us... although we may have once lived in darkness... we have been called to walk in the Light of the Lord... to be reflectors of God’s goodness, grace and mercy. In other words, we are called to BE THE LIGHT... within an increasingly dark and dying world.
During the season of Lent... everything that we do as the church ought to point the way to Jesus… as we are reminded of the sacrifice that the Lord made for us… as we also find reassurance of His promise to never to leave us nor forsake us.
Now, for anyone who watches the news, listens to the radio, or reads reports on the Internet... you might be inclined to agree that this life can be more than a little scary... especially for those who do not know or believe that there is someone in whom they can put their hope and trust.
But as Christians, we know that we have a solid rock on which to stand... and that rock is Jesus... the One who is able to speak peace to the very storms that threaten to overtake us.
In fact, if we were to look at Matthew 8 (23-27), we would find a story about Jesus that took place in the midst of a storm:
As our text says, we are called to be children of light, which is why for our time together this morning, I want to invite our attention to a simple theme: BE THE LIGHT.
It never ceases to amaze me how the Lectionary texts for any given week... although planned out many years in advance... so often speak to the current situations that we find ourselves living in. And this week’s text is no different.
Six years ago, when this text came up in the Lectionary, we were coming face-to-face with a global pandemic that was beginning to take us into total shutdown.
Fast forward six years... and we are once again living in what some people would describe as another very dark time, filled with fear and uncertainty. People are struggling to make sense of what is going on... questioning what will happen next... and wondering if we will survive in the meantime.
But as our text reminds us... although we may have once lived in darkness... we have been called to walk in the Light of the Lord... to be reflectors of God’s goodness, grace and mercy. In other words, we are called to BE THE LIGHT... within an increasingly dark and dying world.
During the season of Lent... everything that we do as the church ought to point the way to Jesus… as we are reminded of the sacrifice that the Lord made for us… as we also find reassurance of His promise to never to leave us nor forsake us.
Now, for anyone who watches the news, listens to the radio, or reads reports on the Internet... you might be inclined to agree that this life can be more than a little scary... especially for those who do not know or believe that there is someone in whom they can put their hope and trust.
But as Christians, we know that we have a solid rock on which to stand... and that rock is Jesus... the One who is able to speak peace to the very storms that threaten to overtake us.
In fact, if we were to look at Matthew 8 (23-27), we would find a story about Jesus that took place in the midst of a storm:
Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
Do I need to tell anyone that we are living in the middle of a storm right now? With everything that is happening around the world and right here closer to home, is it any wonder that people are anxious and afraid?
But as people of faith, we do not have to live in fear... because as Paul wrote to his young protégé, Timothy, “...God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (1 Timothy 1:7).
And we can live with the assurance that the same Jesus who calmed the storms that threatened to overtake the disciples back then... that is the same Jesus who is able to calm whatever storms we find ourselves facing today.
Some of you may know that Max Lucado is one my favorite Christian authors... and in his book, “Fearless,” he analyzes that story from the Gospel of Matthew... noting that the word used for storm in the original Greek text was the word “seismos,” which is defined as a quake or a trembling eruption of sea and sky.
This word “seismos” is the root for the word seismologist, which is someone who studies earthquakes... as well as the word seismograph, which is the tool that is used to measure them. (Lucado, 2009)
Lucado explains that there are only two instances where Matthew used this word “seismos” in his Gospel... once when he was describing how Calvary shook after Jesus died (Matthew 27:51-54) ...and again when he described what happened when the angel of the Lord rolled the stone away from the entrance to the tomb following Jesus’ resurrection (Matthew 28:2).
Lucado says the storm in Matthew 8, “shares equal billing in the trilogy of Jesus’ great shake-ups: defeating sin on the cross, death at the tomb, and here silencing fear on the sea,” (Lucado, 2009, p. 7).
And as we look at the events that continue to unfold here and around the world, it would seem safe to say that there is a storm brewing of seismic proportions… but even in this... Jesus is still speaking to us... to silence our fears and to calm the storms that are raging around us.
Now as we look back at our text for the morning, after we read the call to “walk as children of light,” verse 9 reads, “(for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true)” while verse 10 encourages us to, “…try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.”
And it would seem that even in the midst of yet another global crisis... we can still find stories of people around the world doing what is good, right and true... trying to do what is pleasing to the Lord.
For example, the other day, I heard a story about Lyft offering free rides to the bureau of motor vehicles in Kansas to transgender individuals who had their licenses unceremoniously and instantly revoked. (Lyft steps in to offer rides after Kansas voids transgender residents’ driver’s licenses)
While just a couple of weeks ago, the Cleveland Clinic pledged $50 million dollars over the next 5 years to fight hunger by making donations to food banks and other community organizations. (Cleveland Clinic makes 5-year, $50 million pledge to fight hunger with donations to food banks, community organizations)
Prayerfully, we are seeing a return to a way of living that reflects what we read in Acts 2 (44-45), “And all who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need.”
But even as we find stories about overwhelming outpouring of kindness and compassion... we are still hearing stories of those who would take advantage of others... preying on the elderly and the disadvantaged.
But our text tells us that we are to:
But as people of faith, we do not have to live in fear... because as Paul wrote to his young protégé, Timothy, “...God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (1 Timothy 1:7).
And we can live with the assurance that the same Jesus who calmed the storms that threatened to overtake the disciples back then... that is the same Jesus who is able to calm whatever storms we find ourselves facing today.
Some of you may know that Max Lucado is one my favorite Christian authors... and in his book, “Fearless,” he analyzes that story from the Gospel of Matthew... noting that the word used for storm in the original Greek text was the word “seismos,” which is defined as a quake or a trembling eruption of sea and sky.
This word “seismos” is the root for the word seismologist, which is someone who studies earthquakes... as well as the word seismograph, which is the tool that is used to measure them. (Lucado, 2009)
Lucado explains that there are only two instances where Matthew used this word “seismos” in his Gospel... once when he was describing how Calvary shook after Jesus died (Matthew 27:51-54) ...and again when he described what happened when the angel of the Lord rolled the stone away from the entrance to the tomb following Jesus’ resurrection (Matthew 28:2).
Lucado says the storm in Matthew 8, “shares equal billing in the trilogy of Jesus’ great shake-ups: defeating sin on the cross, death at the tomb, and here silencing fear on the sea,” (Lucado, 2009, p. 7).
And as we look at the events that continue to unfold here and around the world, it would seem safe to say that there is a storm brewing of seismic proportions… but even in this... Jesus is still speaking to us... to silence our fears and to calm the storms that are raging around us.
Now as we look back at our text for the morning, after we read the call to “walk as children of light,” verse 9 reads, “(for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true)” while verse 10 encourages us to, “…try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.”
And it would seem that even in the midst of yet another global crisis... we can still find stories of people around the world doing what is good, right and true... trying to do what is pleasing to the Lord.
For example, the other day, I heard a story about Lyft offering free rides to the bureau of motor vehicles in Kansas to transgender individuals who had their licenses unceremoniously and instantly revoked. (Lyft steps in to offer rides after Kansas voids transgender residents’ driver’s licenses)
While just a couple of weeks ago, the Cleveland Clinic pledged $50 million dollars over the next 5 years to fight hunger by making donations to food banks and other community organizations. (Cleveland Clinic makes 5-year, $50 million pledge to fight hunger with donations to food banks, community organizations)
Prayerfully, we are seeing a return to a way of living that reflects what we read in Acts 2 (44-45), “And all who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need.”
But even as we find stories about overwhelming outpouring of kindness and compassion... we are still hearing stories of those who would take advantage of others... preying on the elderly and the disadvantaged.
But our text tells us that we are to:
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is a shame even to speak of the things that they do in secret; but when anything is exposed by the light it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light.
Or as it reads in the Message Paraphrase:
Don’t waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It’s a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see.
When we see things that are wrong, we cannot afford to sit by quietly, lest our silence be taken as complicity. As Christians, we have a duty and an obligation to shine a light on the dark deeds of others – to expose sin for what it is.
We are reading through the Gospel of John in our Sunday school group and the other day, as I was reading John 7, I read a passage about the crowds whispering about Jesus, with some saying, “He is a good man,” while others were ridiculing Him. But it was verse 13 that really caught my attention, “But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders.”
The people kept the truth to themselves because they were afraid of the repercussions and the reprisals. They remained silent because they did not want to run the risk of being ostracized or penalized. They did not speak up or speak out because their fear was stronger than their faith.
I can think of a few folks that might fit this description today... people who are in positions of power that could do so much to help... but who choose to keep quiet for reasons that often defy logic.
But it can be hard to think about, let alone talk about, the evil deeds that people will do and the schemes they will come up with that cause hurt, harm and danger to others. But we need to expose the darkness to the light of Christ so that people will see that there is a better way.
From attempts to make it harder for people to vote... to eliminating food assistance and health benefits for the people who need it the most... to bombing schools and killing children...
These are particularly dark times that we are living in… but for those who place their hope in the Lord, there is a light at the end of the tunnel... and the good news is that we have the assurance it is not an oncoming train.
In John 8:12, we find these words of Jesus, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Jesus always has been and always will be the Light of the world... and there is absolutely nothing that will ever be able to dim the Light of the world.
And as Christ’s followers, we are called to BE THE LIGHT as well... so that others may be drawn to Jesus as they see us walking in faith, not fear.
These are difficult times that we are living in; to be sure... but rest assured the Lord is still the same. In Malachi 3, we read, “I the Lord do not change.” While over in Hebrews (13:8) we read, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” And that is good news we all can use.
This is a time when we need to get back to basics... to return to what we know is good and right and true... which is that God is still in control... no matter what anyone else may try to tell us or sell us.
Scripture after scripture encourages us that we need to draw close to God, especially in times of trial and tribulation like we are witnessing right now.
Isaiah 44:22 says, “I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.”
Malachi 3:7b says, “Return to me, and I will return to you…”
James 4:8a says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
I think you get the point.
This is truly a wake-up call for the church... for us to get back to being the church... to BE THE LIGHT that shines in the darkness.
It is over in 2 Chronicles 7 (13-14) that we find these words that the Lord spoke to Solomon in the temple which provide us with marching orders today as well:
We are reading through the Gospel of John in our Sunday school group and the other day, as I was reading John 7, I read a passage about the crowds whispering about Jesus, with some saying, “He is a good man,” while others were ridiculing Him. But it was verse 13 that really caught my attention, “But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders.”
The people kept the truth to themselves because they were afraid of the repercussions and the reprisals. They remained silent because they did not want to run the risk of being ostracized or penalized. They did not speak up or speak out because their fear was stronger than their faith.
I can think of a few folks that might fit this description today... people who are in positions of power that could do so much to help... but who choose to keep quiet for reasons that often defy logic.
But it can be hard to think about, let alone talk about, the evil deeds that people will do and the schemes they will come up with that cause hurt, harm and danger to others. But we need to expose the darkness to the light of Christ so that people will see that there is a better way.
From attempts to make it harder for people to vote... to eliminating food assistance and health benefits for the people who need it the most... to bombing schools and killing children...
These are particularly dark times that we are living in… but for those who place their hope in the Lord, there is a light at the end of the tunnel... and the good news is that we have the assurance it is not an oncoming train.
In John 8:12, we find these words of Jesus, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Jesus always has been and always will be the Light of the world... and there is absolutely nothing that will ever be able to dim the Light of the world.
And as Christ’s followers, we are called to BE THE LIGHT as well... so that others may be drawn to Jesus as they see us walking in faith, not fear.
These are difficult times that we are living in; to be sure... but rest assured the Lord is still the same. In Malachi 3, we read, “I the Lord do not change.” While over in Hebrews (13:8) we read, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” And that is good news we all can use.
This is a time when we need to get back to basics... to return to what we know is good and right and true... which is that God is still in control... no matter what anyone else may try to tell us or sell us.
Scripture after scripture encourages us that we need to draw close to God, especially in times of trial and tribulation like we are witnessing right now.
Isaiah 44:22 says, “I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.”
Malachi 3:7b says, “Return to me, and I will return to you…”
James 4:8a says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
I think you get the point.
This is truly a wake-up call for the church... for us to get back to being the church... to BE THE LIGHT that shines in the darkness.
It is over in 2 Chronicles 7 (13-14) that we find these words that the Lord spoke to Solomon in the temple which provide us with marching orders today as well:
When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
There is a clarion call that has been issued to the church, to the body of believers, for us to humble ourselves and to pray to God...
the only wise God who is able to hear and answer our prayers...
the One true God who is able to forgive us of our sins and to save us from all that threatens to destroy us...
the Immortal and Invisible God who calls us to walk in His marvelous light.
So, today, I want us to make the commitment to heed God’s call and BE THE LIGHT... but just before we stand and sing our Hymn of Discipleship... I want to let you in on a little secret.
In any given week, after I have preached a sermon, I will come across a devotional message or see something that calls to mind something that I said in the sermon. Usually, I take that as a sign that I was on the right track... and I give thanks to the Lord for the confirmation.
Well, this week, I got the confirmation before I actually preached the sermon. And I just felt compelled to share this with you all. It is today’s devotional reading from Our Daily Bread... and it is entitled Being a Light for Christ.
the only wise God who is able to hear and answer our prayers...
the One true God who is able to forgive us of our sins and to save us from all that threatens to destroy us...
the Immortal and Invisible God who calls us to walk in His marvelous light.
So, today, I want us to make the commitment to heed God’s call and BE THE LIGHT... but just before we stand and sing our Hymn of Discipleship... I want to let you in on a little secret.
In any given week, after I have preached a sermon, I will come across a devotional message or see something that calls to mind something that I said in the sermon. Usually, I take that as a sign that I was on the right track... and I give thanks to the Lord for the confirmation.
Well, this week, I got the confirmation before I actually preached the sermon. And I just felt compelled to share this with you all. It is today’s devotional reading from Our Daily Bread... and it is entitled Being a Light for Christ.
When schools around the globe sent their students home for health and safety during the coronavirus pandemic, their buildings and stadiums stood empty. While acknowledging many were experiencing greater afflictions from the virus, teachers sought ways to show their students they missed them and to encourage them to press on through a difficult time. Many schools initiated what they called the “Be the Light” challenge, in which they burned the empty stadium’s lights each night.
During His earthly life, Jesus issued His own kind of “be the light” challenge, saying that we who follow Him are to “let [our] light shine before others” (Matthew 5:16). His charge had a loftier goal than encouragement or moral support; instead, our willingness to reveal the light He’s put in us shows the watching world who God is. The way we live our lives, in both word and deed, reveals the hope Jesus gives us, making it visible to all those around us, like a lamp on a stand.
Jesus calls us “the light of the world” and challenges us to illuminate the paths of others with His light radiating through us when they’re walking a dark road. For those who don’t yet know the hope Jesus offers, sharing His light through the way we live can point them toward God as the source of all hope. (Being a Light for Christ)
If that is not confirmation that we are called to BE THE LIGHT, I don’t know what is. So, with that in mind, let us stand now and join in singing our Hymn of Discipleship #66, Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise.
Amen.
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Amen.
