Takoma Park Baptist Church, Washington, DC, Nov. 11, 1990
Pastor: One Christian organization that is concerned with helping people who have emotional problems uses as its slogan, "It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness." Today we are going to test that theory. This morning we are going to put a tough case to you: can we make a difference? Do we have a candle to light in the center of the world’s darkness, and will it really matter? Do we make a difference? I say it’s a tough case, because when you look at two thousand years of Christian history and you see the condition the world is in, you have to wonder if this thing of spreading the Christian message makes any difference.
Lay Reader: Part of the problem is that sometimes we Christians do not understand what the Bible means by light. The Bible speaks of light as among the first of God’s creations. "God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." And then it goes on to speak of light a part of the nature of God Himself. "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” When the Bible speaks of light, it is speaking of the intention of God for all creation. It is speaking of God's intention that all that He has made be aware and free and in relationship with Himself. And the Bible also tells us that when God's light shines, the darkness cannot put it out. God's light makes a difference.
Pastor: If you and I feel that the world is engulfed in chaos and that there is very little to be pleased about, if you and I feel, as one statesman did as the world made preparations for war, that "the lights are going out all over the world, and we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime" … if we look at Iraq and Liberia and South Africa, if we get caught up in what is happening on the streets of this city, if we get bogged down in the stresses and pains of just ordinary, everyday living, maybe we cannot see the light. Maybe it looks as though all is gloom and doom, shrouded in the signs of death. I have to wonder how many of us this morning, deep down, feel as though there is nothing we can do about the condition of the world, nothing we can do but curse the darkness.
Lay Reader: But to do that is to forget who is the light. To do that is to forget the invincible light who is Christ, who has come into the world and is let loose in the world, and no power can put out His light.
You see, if you believe that Christ is alive, if you believe that He was raised from the dead, then you have to believe that the truth He taught was to last forever. And you have to believe, as John put it, that "in Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
Pastor: So when Jesus says to us, ''you are the light of the world", I have to think that He is teaching us that His authority and His power are coming to us too. He is sharing His power with us. He who is light is making us light too. And that means we can make a difference, we do make a difference, and it matters.
Lay Reader: Notice that Jesus does not say, “Be the light of the world." He says, "You are the light of the world." He is not so much commanding us as He is naming us, identifying us. Just be what you are: light.
Pastor: And it’s, “Let your light shine before men." Not go get a light, not figure out how to turn on your light, but let shine the light that God in Christ has already given you.
Lay Reader: We the church are part of God's light. We are set in the middle of this city, not to be hidden, but to shine brightly and clearly for Him. A church that keeps secrets is not really being a church; we are here to reveal Him, to glorify Him. As Peter says, ''You are God's people, so that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."
Pastor: A church that keeps secrets is not really being a church. We do not do our work behind closed doors, we do not tell our story only to ourselves, and we do not keep our resources in our own pockets. What we do we do in order to be lenses through which the light of Christ can shine.
Lay Reader: Today we want to share with you some of the ways in which we are letting the light shine. We want you to see the work and life of this church in a new way, we hope in a way that brings hope to birth in you and makes you see that the light of Christ has not gone out here at Takoma Park. In fact, if we have interpreted the scriptures rightly, it cannot go out. But we do want to help you see it this morning.
Pastor: In addition we want to encourage you to open your eyes even wider and to see some of the possibilities, some of the dark comers where light needs to shine and where, by the help of God, we can let it shine. Because, again, we know that the light that is Christ cannot be put out, and, to me, that means that if we do not share Him, someone else will. If we do not understand how much light and truth we have to give and then just give it, someone else will do so, and we will be bypassed. And so we want today to show you what we do now with the light, but also what we want and hope to do.
Lay Reader: Light means truth. When the scripture speaks of Christ as light, it means that He brings understanding. He offers truth. And so we as a church are engaged in sharing truth. We teach, we preach, we counsel, we do all sorts of things to encourage others to see and to know.
Pastor: Our Sunday School enrolls preschoolers, children, youth, and adults. No matter hew young you are or hew old, there is a place for you in studying God' s word and letting it speak to your life. Even very young children can learn truth; if they feel love and acceptance here, they are seeing truth. And it' s almost as though you can see light shining from these smiling faces.
Lay Reader: People of all ages need truth. Light comes in different ways at different times in your life. When you are a youth or a young adult, you may need to see how Christ teaches you about relationships.
Pastor: When you are an adult, likely you will need to know how the searchlight of God' s truth plays on your daily work. And when you are well along in years, you may want to know more and more about that city in which there is no need of the sun for light, for the King Himself will be their light.
Lay Reader: Most important, at many stages of our lives, we just want to know. We don' t want to keep guessing at what is right. We want to know what and how and why and when. Some of our Sunday School classes work hard at that.
Pastor: A minute ago, something was said about a searchlight. Searchlights are used to discover where something may be going wrong. Searchlights look for the danger points, where a ship or a plane might crash. And I think of worship and preaching as a searchlight. When we gather to worship, we gather to confess that there are glaring faults in our lives and we gather to hear both God’s judgment and God’s good news.
Lay Reader: And when we worship, sometimes it's as though a light goes on in someone' s heart, and they see, they really see, for the first time. And all the abstract truths, all the ideas, cane down to this: Jesus Christ died for me; Jesus Christ is alive in and for me; Jesus Christ can give me new life. That kind of very wonderful light we call conversion, and the holiest moments in our worship life come when we take such people into the waters of baptism.
Pastor: Don’t you wonder, sometimes, who there is who is not seeing any of this? Don’t you wander and even worry about those in our neighborhood, in our community, maybe on our very street, who just have not seen the savior?
Lay Reader: Georgia Avenue and the business world, the street world; schoolyards, where young people gather; playgrounds and recreation centers and senior citizen centers; a college, two hospitals, apartment buildings: all of these places represent people. People who need Christ. And we are not yet there as we ought to be.
Pastor: No one lights a candle and puts it under a bushel. This coming year, if we have the resources we need in people and in funds, I hope we can be on hand when there is a street festival. I hope we can be present in an apartment building with an outreach Bible study. I want to see us putting posters and information in every shop window, every office, every place where people gather. They must be given a chance to see the light we have to share!
Lay Reader: And we need to nurture our own ability to be lenses and light filters. Some of us need to polish those lenses, because they haven't been used in a very long while. Some of us are burning at a mighty low wattage! We want to do a church-wide retreat, spending some quality time together to train and motivate ourselves to be light-bearers. We're going to need some of your time and some of your resources to do that.
Pastor: I’m glad that we have over the last few months been able to gather here some very special kinds of people, who bring us some light but who also rejoice in the light we open up for them.
I'm thinking of our Wednesday Club guests. This is a highlight of the week far many of them.
Lay Reader: And our Friday Fellowship crowd is a source of light and of inspiration to the rest of us, because these folks have learned over the years how to discern truth from fiction and caring from pretense. They are, however, only a small portion of the number of elderly people in this community who need to be served.
Pastor: I’m thinking, too, of all the children we have served in one way or another: Vacation Bible School, Sunday School, Halloween party, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts. Every one of these children has such tremendous potential for Christ.
Lay Reader: But we've learned some disturbing things lately. We've learned that many children in our community don't have adequate care at home. Some of them have no one to go home to after school. Others are not doing well in school. Some of their parents are struggling against overwhelming odds. They need help. And some of us are convinced that we as a church do have the potential to create programs and facilities that will serve these children. What we need are people and finances.
Pastor: There is light in this place, to be sure; that we can have 200 and more people in this room Sunday by Sunday is evidence of that.
And we are doing something – not enough, but something – to share light in this immediate community. But there is something else; there is the question of this city. What place do we have in this city and its problems?
Lay Reader: Let's be candid. In recent years we have been rather like those whom Jesus identified as those who light candles and then put them under bushel baskets. We have been rather unsure of ourselves. We have not been clear as to whether we had anything to share.
Pastor: But we do! We do! There are men and women in this congregation who touch every area of the city's life. There are people here who work in the federal government. There are others who work through the city's service network. Many teach school, serve as nurses, run businesses, attend classes. There is no area of this city's life where we could not be light.
Lay Reader: One lens through which that light shines is Baptist work in the various missions enterprises in the city. Johenning Baptist center in southeast, ministering to the needs of the poor; campus ministries at half a dozen significant universities, under the direction of our pastor’s wife; starting new churches and managing missions for those who speak other languages. All these things are part of our light-sharing.
Pastor: It goes much farther than that, too. When we pray and study and give for missions, some of that energy makes its way around the world. As members of two Baptist denominations, we have the high privilege of supporting well over 4000 foreign missionaries serving in about 125 nations around the world, as well as almost another 4000 who work as missionaries all across the United States. That has to be one of the brightest lights now shining in this world, and we can be proud of it.
Lay Reader: Still, more light is needed. War clouds keep on gathering here and there around the world. The only thing that will chase them away is the light of the Good News. Poverty threatens Iives and stunts minds; the only thing that will take it away is the unsearchable riches of Christ. We here at Takoma Park want to do more for missions; we want to increase our giving to missions, we want to operate a residence that will house and assist missionaries, and we may even be able to send teams of our own members on missions projects.
Pastor: It's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness. I believe that's true. I believe that we do have a light to shine. I believe this church has a future in giving light, providing understanding, sharing the gospel, supporting missions, restoring our facilities, turning our houses into ministry points: I believe we can let our light shine and make a difference. I believe we can light the world; we can do it!
Lay Reader: The light shines in the darkness and the darkness could not put it out. New souls will be won to Christ, and a new light will be lit for Him. (First candlelighter steps forward and lights a candle)
Pastor: The Scripture speaks of our seeing the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. New Sunday School and outreach Bible study classes will be started, and they will be new sources of light for Him. (Second candlelighter steps forward and lights another candle)
Lay Reader: You are the people of God so that you may declare the wonderful deeds of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. New community ministries will take shape, reaching people with special needs through training programs and support groups. (Third candlelighter)
Pastor: You are the light of the world – the world – thinking globally, imagining things on a grand scale. You are the light of the world, and through your gifts you can keep the entire globe in focus. (Fourth candlelighter)
Lay Reader: Our light comes ultimately from Christ, but He has chosen to filter it through this lighthouse we call a church. Here we will dream and think and plan and finally rebuild what we have, to the glory and splendor of God. (Fifth candlelighter)
Pastor: We have a light to shine. But some of it is still masked. Some of it is still hidden. Some of these candles remain unused. What happens next is up to you.
