NR 08-08-04
The theme of this morning service is Jesus’ words “I am the Light of the world” (Jn 9:5)
Story: About 12 years ago I went on a training conference when I was working as a Patent Attorney for a Swiss multinational company called Sandoz.
And one of the conundrums they set us to test our ingenuity was this:
You are in a plane flying over the desert and as you are sitting near the cockpit you hear the Captain giving his co-ordinates to the tower at 15.00 hours.
Half an hour later, however the plane crashes in an uninhabited part of the desert in which the only vegetation is a few cactus trees.
But before the plane crashes you hear the Captain sending off an SOS message to the tower and you hear them reply – but you can’t make out what they have said.
The plane crashes and no one is hurt but the radio is totally destroyed and it looks as if the plane is going to explode in a few minutes time
In the plane there are only ten things that you can see that you can take out of the plane – but you can only take three of them.
What three items would best ensure your survival and why.
You have one minute to get into groups to decide:
The ten items are:
1. A bottle of water
2. A box of salt tablets
3. A parachute
4. A knife
5. A sun hat
6. A lady’s vanity mirror
7. A watch
8. A compass
9. A First aid box
10. Sunglasses
Question: What are those three most important items that you would take from the plane to ensure your survival.
You only have one minute to decide what to take starting NOW.
One minute later. STOP.
What did you decide?
The answer- according to the US Military’s top survival expert was as follows:
3. The third most important item was the knife – because it can be used to cut the cactuses to provide drinking water
2. The second most important item is the parachute – because once the plane blows up you will have no shelter from the sun
1. The most important item is the lady’s mirror, because you can use it to reflect the sun and so attract the attention of any plane sent out to look for you.
So what you might ask has this got to do with Jesus’ words in today’s story:
“I am the light of the world.” (Jn 9:5)
Well this morning I would like to suggest to you that we, as members of the church we are like the LADY’S MIRROR
If Jesus is the Sun that illuminates the world, we are the little mirrors that God calls to reflect Jesus’ glory in the world.
After all, the Bible teaches us that we are made in God’s own image.
With that in mind can you think of ways in which we can reflect Jesus into our dark world.
1. One way we can reflect the light of Jesus in this world is by sharing the love of Jesus to those around us
2. Another way we can reflect the light of Jesus in this world is by preaching the Good News that Jesus came to this world to reconcile us to God through his death on the Cross.
Can you recall the words of what is known as the “Great Commission” in Mt 28:18-20
….go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[1] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
3. A third way we can reflect the light of Jesus in this world is by showing the world how God wants us to live – by the church living harmoniously together
Let me read you what the early church was like from Acts 2: Peter has just been preaching and the Scripture records this:
42They (the Church) devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
It was this Church in Acts 2 that had the whole world buzzing within 50 years of its founding. And within 300 years it had turned the civilised world upside down.
It wasn’t just a Sunday church. They lived together, shared meals in each other’s houses during the week.
They had house groups together.
You could say they worked, studied and played together.
People were attracted to Christ, because of the love that the church of Acts 2 showed for all its members.
Conclusion:
Jesus words in our reading this morning are only going to have an effect in our community
- if we are willing to be the mirror that reflects the light of the Divine Sun of God into the darkness of a lost world
We can do that
1. By sharing the love of God with those around us
2. By preaching the Good News of Jesus to our friends and neighbours and
3. By showing the world how God wants us to relate to each other – as the church did in Acts 2.
That is quite a challenge isn’t it. I wonder if we might think about doing that.
Are we willing to be that mirror that will reflect Jesus to the world around us?
