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Let There Be Light!

CONNIE: Has the light come on in your life yet? Is it on a lampstand or under a basket? Join us today as we look at ways to let Jesus' light shine through our lives to bless others.
Giving God's trumpet a Certain Sound for more than 70 years, this is the Voice of Prophecy.

CONNIE: Hello, I'm Connie Jeffery,

LONNIE: And I'm Lonnie Melashenko.

Welcome to the month of March, Connie.
CONNIE: Thanks--it's a great time of the year.

LONNIE: Well, where I grew up we always called March the windy month--and you think of children going out and flying kites and that sort of thing. But one of the great things about March--all over the world--is that it is a month of light.

CONNIE: A month of light---what do you mean by that?

LONNIE: Well, because March is the month of the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere and the autumn equinox in the southern hemisphere, the earth is turned in just the right way so that every spot on earth gets at least some sunlight.

CONNIE: Even if you're at the North Pole or the South Pole?

LONNIE: Yes, March and September are the only months when you can see the sun at both the north and South Pole. The sun rises for the first time in six months at the North Pole in mid-March, and about the same time it sets for six months at the South Pole.

CONNIE: That must be a really neat thing--to be far up in the northland, and to see the sun rise for the first time in months!

LONNIE: Well, you may know that the farthest north spot in the United States is Barrow, Alaska, and up there, the sun sets on November 18 and doesn't rise again until January 24. So that's about two months with no sunshine.

CONNIE: They must really have a celebration when the sun first appears again!

LONNIE: Well, in fact, we recently talked to someone up there at radio station KBRW, and they said that no, there's not any particular ceremony or celebration or anything. Just a lot of smiling faces when the sun finally peaks over the horizon.

CONNIE: I can imagine that would be the case! I think I would have a hard time dealing with two months of no sunshine at all.

LONNIE: Light--sun light, or lamp light, is a great thing. No wonder, when God created our world, the first thing He did was to turn on the lights!

CONNIE: And when Jesus came to the world, He was called the light of the world.

LONNIE: He came to the world to bring light, and He also gives us light to pass on to the rest of the world. It's something we can do in our daily lives--by how we reach out to others and touch their lives. We recently heard a compelling story of how one woman has been doing this in the months since the terrorist attacks in September of 2001.

CONNIE: That's right, Beatriz Benitez shared her story with Ken Wade.

KEN: Beatriz Benitez, it's such a privilege to be able to talk to you today. Tell me a little about your life on September 10, 2001, where were you working and what did you do, what did you plan for the next day?

BEATRIZ: I was working at an insurance company that was located at one World Trade Center.

KEN: Building One of the World Trade Centers, and what floor was your office on?

BEATRIZ: On the ninety-eighth floor.

KEN: On September 10 what did you do?

BEATRIZ: On September 10 I got in the office at 9:15 in the morning, and when I got there I realized my coworker was not coming in because she was sick, and went ahead and did my work, and before leaving I left a schedule with all the things to do the next morning, hoping to get there at 8:30.

KEN: Now normally you would come in a little bit later than that because of some health needs that you need to travel a little later on the trains, correct?

BEATRIZ: Correct.

KEN: So September 11, 2001 you want to get to work a bit early.

BEATRIZ: Yes, I went to bed an hour early to make sure I would get there by 8:30, and for some odd reason I woke up late.

KEN: But then you were going to take a train that would still get you there on time, right?

BEATRIZ: Right, every morning I take a taxi to the train station, but I was so discouraged that I didn't wake up at the time I had planned, and I just decided to take the train that I have two blocks from my house which takes longer. I hurried up and got dressed and went on my way. When I was two blocks away I looked and the train went by.

KEN: So this is bad news definitely as far as your sechdule?

BEATRIZ: Yes, I was very disappointed at that point and I said, forget it, everything looks like it's going to be negative, so you have to look at the negative and turn it into a positive.

KEN: What an attitude. Now as you told me this story just half hour later, you got to a train stop and the train was no longer running and you already found out that--this would be about 9:00 or 9:15 in the morning--the offices where you work, the very floors of the building where you work had been hit by the first plane, is that right?

BEATRIZ: Correct.
KEN: So you went upstairs at a train stop and you were actually able to observe what was going on?

BEATRIZ: Correct. I was at Chambers Street, which is one local train from the building, or four blocks walking distance, and when I went upstairs I noticed that my building and my floors had been hit by the plane.
KEN: Now Beatriz, you survived the attack on the World Trade Center and you told me that you see life as a gift from the Lord, is that right?

BEATRIZ: Yes that's right.
KEN: But you decided you could do something more than just say. AThank you I'm still alive.@ You could do something for the people who lost their lives or the families.

BEATRIZ: Yes. In my department we lost 25 people and they were very young, and they left children, they left a lot of families.

KEN: So what have you been able to do for them?

BEATRIZ: Well to me, what I have done, because I was so upset, I was so affected. I went through my churches and I gave my testimony, and as I was seeing how people were reacting to my testimony I was impressed that the SDA church should do something for these families.

KEN: So you then, at Thanksgiving time, what did you do?

BEATRIZ: I decided to do food baskets for 25 families.

KEN: How did people respond to that?

BEATRIZ: The families, I was amazed because most of these families I had never spoken to. I called and first of all I prayed to the Lord to guide this project. I called the families and I identified myself and identified the church, and I told them what the members wanted to do. To my amazement everybody with the exception of one family accepted it. We went ahead and we did the baskets and everything. In one day we did 25 baskets and we also gave out a book on how to deal with stress.

KEN: And you took these to the families yourself, personally right?

BEATRIZ: Yes. Thanks to Camp Berkshire, they provided the packaging, and they also provided the transportation. So we personally took every package to the families. Which is something nice that the families actually opened up, because not only did they feel that the church was reaching out to them but we personally went to their house and it was very emotional for them.

KEN: I'm sure it was. Yet as you touch these people, I know you told me about one family in particular had been negative towards this, but after the visit they even wanted the pastor that went with you to help them set up a grief counseling services, is that right?

BEATRIZ: He was very impressed and he saidYhe was crying we were all crying and laughing at the same time. Every time that we said we were leaving he would bring up a topic. He would bring up a picture or something; it was like he didn't want us to leave.

KEN: That's great. Well Beatriz, I thank you for sharing with us and you know it's true we may not realize that everyday is a gift from the Lord, but you certainly realized it after the events of September 11, and I think many of us do. And the great thing is we can than take the life that we have and let it shed some light into the lives of others, can't we.

BEATRIZ: Yes, and that's my ministry to stay in touch with all of these families. To let them know that they are not forgotten and they're loved ones are not forgotten.

KEN: Well thank you Beatriz. Thank you for being the light in these people's lives, and thank you for sharing with us.

CONNIE: Thank you Steve Darmody, for that reminder that we are called to be the light of the world. That's one of the privileges that Jesus gives us when He calls us to be His disciples. The song is on Steve's album "Constant Refuge," and you can learn more about it and how to purchase the CD on our web page at www.vop.com.

LONNIE: You know, Connie, the gospel of John is where you find the texts about Jesus being the light of the world, and I'd like to share a little pocket-size edition of that gospel with our listeners today.

CONNIE: If you'd like to carry the light of the world with you wherever you go, give us a call, and we'll send you a pocket-size edition of the Gospel of John in the New International Version. You can call us at 1-800-872-0055. Be sure to ask for the NIV Gospel of John when you call.

LONNIE: Of course you can also contact us by mail or e-mail, and we'll give that contact information a bit later in the program.

CONNIE: Right now though, let's listen to Lonnie's message for today, "Let There Be Light!"

Let There Be Light!

In her book On the Banks of Plum Creek, Laura Ingalls Wilder tells the story of her family's life near Walnut Grove, Minnesota from 1874 to 1876. Maybe you remember reading the story of "The Long Blizzard." Laura's father, Charles Ingalls, had gone into town one day, and just about the time he should have returned home, a fierce blizzard came blowing in form the northwest. The whole family was worried about him, wondering whether he had gotten caught out in the storm, or whether he had stayed in town. Laura poignantly describes what she saw the first night of the blizzard. Before going to bed, Laura asked her mother:

"Pa did stay in town, didn't he?"

Ma did not look up. She said cheerfully, "Why, surely, Laura. No doubt he and Mr. Fitch are sitting by the stove now, telling stories and cracking jokes."
Laura went on to bed. Deep in the night she woke and saw lamplight shining up through the ladder-hole. She crept out of bed into the cold, and kneeling on the floor she looked down.

Ma sat alone in her chair. Her head was bowed and she was very still, but her eyes were open, looking at her hands clasped in her lap. The lamp was shining in the window.

For a long time Laura looked down. Ma did not move. The lamp went on shining. The storm howled and hooted after things that fled shrieking through the enormous dark around the frightened house. At last Laura crept silently back to bed and lay shivering.

You can almost feel it, can't you? The loneliness--the worry--the hope. And it all comes to a focus in one object. The lamp, shining in the window.
That lamp represents all the warmth of home.

It represents all the hopes of the occupants of the house--that husband and father Charles will find his way home.

It stands in the window like a prayer, and an invitation: Come in, and experience all the warmth and comfort and love in the world!

A light, shining in the window is a powerful metaphor for hope, isn't it? . . .
We're continuing our look at Jesus' Sermon on the Mount today. In two previous programs we looked at the Beatitudes, and today we're looking at Matthew 5, verses 13-16, with special emphasis on these words of Jesus:
"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:14-16, NKJV).

After telling His disciples how to find true, lasting happiness, Jesus went on to talk about their mission in life. He called them the salt of the earth--the spice that was supposed to go out into the world and give it a better flavor through its influence.

And then he called them "the light of the world."

What a great thing--to be a light! What wonderful images that evokes in our minds: Of the man struggling home in the night, peering into the darkness, hoping for the sight of a candle in the window. . . . Of a room where darkness controls the corners, and we're unsure what lurks in the shadows, suddenly illuminated by the lighting of a lamp and putting it on a pedestal, right in the middle of the room, dispelling both doubt and fear.

Jesus is the light of the world. The light that came to earth to dispel doubt and fear.

The Gospel of John reminds us that "In Him was life, and the life brought light to mankind. And the light keeps shining in the darkness--the darkness has not quenched it" (John 1:4-5 paraphrase [KWP]).
In the passage in Matthew 5 that we're looking at today, Jesus reminds His disciples that because they have heard His teaching, now they are to be lights in the world--they are to take the light He has brought, and to share it. The things they hear Him teaching must be passed on--must be shared with others. There would be no point in Jesus coming to the world to share light, then doing everything He could to hide it from others--putting it under a basket.

No, the light the disciples received was to "give light to all in the house." What a challenge. Jesus' house is the whole world! How could those few men possibly accomplish such a feat? How could their feeble little lamps possibly spread light to the whole world? Certainly not in they're own power.

Jesus' challenge has come down to us today. We too are called to be the light of the world, to let His light shine through us to everyone in the house--everyone in the world.

But how are we to do it?

Well, of course there are many ways to spread the message of Jesus. Here at Voice of Prophecy we reach out to the world through the power of radio, television, the Internet, correspondence Bible lessons, evangelistic meetings--all sharing the gospel. And it's important that the gospel go to the world in this way--to reach out to people who might not otherwise hear it. And everyone who has a part in supporting this ministry is helping to spread Jesus' light around the world.

But there's more to Jesus' challenge than that.

Let's look at His words again:

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all whom are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:14-16, NKJV).

I want you to notice three important things about the picture Jesus paints:

1. The lamp that is lit is raised up and put on a lamp stand in the middle of the room.

2. When our lights shine on others, what do they see? Our good works.

3. When people see our good works, what will they do? Glorify our heavenly Father (not us!)

You know, friend, I can't help but think that when Jesus spoke of putting the light up on a lamp stand, He was thinking of how He Himself would be lifted up before the world, on the cross--dying--giving His life so that others could have life.

That's the ultimate good work, isn't it? "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13 KJV). Jesus also promised that "If I be lifted up from the [I] will draw all men unto me" (John 12:32 KJV).
From the cross of Christ, light has shined out to all of the world, proclaiming God's love, God's urgent, insuppressible urge to grant forgiveness and life to all who will look to Him and live.

This light has been spread through great sacrifice. If you could read the obituaries of the eleven faithful disciples of Jesus, you would notice how often words like crucified, stoned, and beheaded occur. Of the eleven, only John is believed to have died a natural death. Peter, we know, was crucified upside down in Rome. His brother Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross. Philip was also crucified after being flogged and imprisoned. John's brother James was stoned in Jerusalem. Even Matthias, who replaced Judas, was stoned to death in Jerusalem. And of course the apostle Paul was ordered beheaded during the reign of Emperor Nero in Rome.
The list goes on and on.

Being a disciple of Jesus, it turns out, was a very dangerous profession.
Being the light of the world seems to have been a sure way of irritating people in those days--irritating them so much that they literally wanted to kill you. And usually did.

Why was being a light to the world such a dangerous business in those days? Well, when you stand up for truth and right in a corrupt world, it's going to bother some people. And it seems that these disciples stood so straight and true that their light just couldn't be hidden. It shined brightly on people--even kings and rulers--and their sinful lives. It made them uncomfortable, but they didn't try to reform their lives. They thought it would be easier to just put out the light.

But that didn't stop the disciples from sharing the gospel. In fact, the thing that gave such power to the early spread of the gospel was the testimony of men and women who weren't afraid to lay their lives on the line for it. They were willing to lay down their very lives to bring the good news to others.
The good works of Jesus shone forth from the lamp stand of the cross. And the good works of His followers radiated from lives transformed and totally dedicated to spreading the good news of Jesus to all the world. Men and women who had seen their Savior die for them were not afraid to lay down their lives to share their Savior with others.

Remember, Jesus said that the light was to be spread through good works. And that the glory for those good works was to go to God.
It was these good, self-sacrificing men and women who took the light of Jesus and passed it on. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, their faint, flickering, but fearless flames lit a fire that continues to spread and warm the world with the love of God.

Jesus lit a lamp. And He put it in the center of the room.
He gave that lamp to you and me. In fact, He told us that we now are that lamp.
Now it's our turn. Our turn to reach out and touch the world with the light. To shine it into every corner. To let it bring warmth to all around us, through the good that we do.

It's a challenge. For you, and for me. Does God's light burn brightly in your life? Does it reach out and touch others, bringing glory to God?
Will you resolve, with me, to let your life do that today?