Shine in the Darkness

Christians "shine" when the light, life, and love of God reflects through them into the world. Judging other beliefs and other behavior give way to a sense of belonging together in the love of God. Here's my sermon from Sunday - the notes - and a link to the audio. TEXT: “How to Really Shine”TITLE: Exodus 34:29-35   THEME: To glorify God is to really shine in the midst of darkness,  death, and fear.Introduction

• As a teen and young adult, I was embarrassed by my face. It certainly was not “radiant.” It did not shine – although I tried hard to do that. … I had severe acne as a teen, black heads and all, and it left pock marks (which you could still see today if I shaved my beard. )J - I never felt that my face could “really shine.”
• Little children sometimes have shiny faces, radiant, beaming at us. We describe people in love that way at times. – Our stories today speak of both Moses and Jesus that way. … Moses’ face was radiant. And the appearance of Jesus’ face changed, it says, and then says his clothes were dazzling white.  – Radiant, dazzling, brilliant – full of shining light. – Moses and Jesus knew how to really shine. J

 Scripture

• Moses had been in God’s presence, talking with God, receiving from God what the people needed to know. God had told Moses who he was – compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness – a description heard throughout the Psalms and the Prophets and revealed in the words and actions of Jesus. – Wherever God is present, we experience compassion and grace, love and faithfulness. No wonder Moses was radiant and came off the mountain “really shining.”
• The story of Jesus’ transfiguration – his appearance clothed in the shining light of God – was only one moment of time. Yet his whole life revealed that shining light. He said, I am the light of the world, and then said to the disciples – and to us – You are the light of the world. Let your light shine so they will glorify your Father in heaven.

 Conclusion

• So how can we “really shine”? How can we be radiant and dazzling, not so much in physical appearance but in who we are and how people experience us?
• These stories offer us one answer. Moses was in God’s presence and experienced the compassion and grace, love and faithfulness of God, and had heard God’s “word” to him. Jesus was the embodiment of all that and revealed it to us – and by the Spirit, Jesus has given it to us. We are the light of the world.
• We sing that song – “This little light of mine; I’m gonna let it shine.” But do we understand the meaning of it? God’s light shines in our hearts, and so we are called to reflect God’s shining light into the darkness of this world. How? … Through compassion and grace, love and faithfulness – by being for others who God is for us all.
• In another scripture for today – 2 Cor. 3 – Paul refers to this story of Moses’ radiant face and then says: We all, who with unveiled faces reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into God’s likeness with ever-increasing glory.
• An early saint – Irenaeus (about 200 a.d.) – said “The glory of God is a person fully alive.” Alive with the brilliance of God’s light and life within and expressing itself in the world.
• People have different ideas about the meaning of “the glory of God.” I believe it almost always refers to the brilliance of God’s presence, dazzling light shining in the darkness – true life in the face of death – unfailing love in the midst of fear and hate.
• To glorify God – to give God the glory – is to be a shining light – to really shine in this world – in the darkness, in the face of death, in the midst of fear and hate – to let God’s light and life and love within us shine forth in all we do, in who we are.
• We won’t go up a mountain to meet God as Moses did. We won’t be transfigured as Jesus was. – We can, however, experience God’s presence, and listen to God’s voice, and experience compassion and grace, love and faithfulness. – Then as God’s light and life and love shines in our hearts and fills up our whole being, we can go out into the world and “really shine.”