“You are the light of the world…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:14-16
In his Sermon on the Mount, Christ taught us much about kingdom living. He taught us kingdom values and priorities. He taught us true faith from earthly ritual. He revealed our calling as his followers. He taught us to love God and love our neighbor.
In Matthew 5 Jesus tells us that we are the “light of the world” and to “let your light shine before others”. A major piece of what it means to be a follower of Christ is to share his love and truth with others that God has places around us. Loving our neighbors and sharing the truth is not optional. We don’t get to claim an exemption on the great commission. This is who we are. This is what we were baptized into. The Spirit works through us!
Now, I’ll be honest. Even as a Director of Outreach I struggle with this. I work at a church. I know the majority of my friends from Concordia or church. I am not always around those who do not believe. I’ve been working this last year and a half to fix this by getting to know my neighbors.
Last Summer, Marcie and I started a neighborhood block club. We invited everyone from our little area of the community over and had a barbecue. It was awesome! We met over 25 of our neighbors and made new friends. We got to have some spiritual conversations and learn about our neighbors. We are excited to continue the block club this summer by having a get-together every week and make more friends!
There are other families in the church as well who are committed this year to be present and outside in their neighborhood every week as Jesus’ lighthouses. They know that you can best love your neighbor when you know them. So what about you? Why not be the one who gathers your neighbors together this year? Why not shine the light of Christ in the lives of the neighbors God has placed you near?
If you are interested in exploring ideas on how to get more involved in your neighborhood as a gatherer or a participant, please contact me. I’d love to discuss it with you!