One night at the end of a Saturday night worship service at a church in Ontario, Canada, a thunderstorm unleashed a bolt of lightning that plunged the church into darkness. With the congregation seated in total darkness, the pastor felt his way to the kitchen to find some candles.
The pastor handed out the candles to everyone present. Persons lit their candles in much the same way as many churches do on Christmas Eve, each person lighting the candle of the person next to them. The worshipers then made their way through the church’s winding hallways to the front door.
Peering out, they could see the rain coming down in sheets. With traffic snarled, people were running for the nearest shelter. Looking around they realized that the entire city was in darkness. There in the darkness they stood, a little band of Christians, each clutching a light, not sure whether to venture out into the storm or stay inside the church in hopes that the storm would soon blow over.
There in the darkness the light of truth struck many of the people. In this most dramatic way they realized what it means to be “the Light of the World.” This is the temptation we face every day. It is easy to play it safe and be a good Christian in church. It is a lot harder to venture out as people of faith into the storms of the world and to be “the Light of the World” that Jesus calls us to be.
Special thanks to Warren Hudson for sharing this story.
How have YOU recently been “the Light of the World” to someone who has been living in darkness?
GOD’S PROMISES ARE LIKE THE STARS…..THE DARKER THE NIGHT, THE BRIGHTER THEY SHINE!!
