What follows are the two short talks from my brothers baptism on 08/07/12.
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Light
to walk in
John 8 v.12
There once was a mole boy who lived in a mole hole
in the mole ground with his mole family. He ate all the best grubs and the
slimiest worms. It was very, very dark underground, too dark to use his eyes,
so he never even opened them. Instead he felt where he was going with his nose
and whiskers, and sensed things move in the soil around him. One day he
remembered what his granddad told him about this place called ‘the Outside’. He
was told that it was a very scary place but he was far too curious to not go so
he started digging up as fast as he could. He reach the point where there was
no more soil to dig. It felt like a cave but bigger, and there was a warm
breeze through the air. “This must be the outside!” he thought and started
exploring around. He walked a little then fell over something hard and round.
He stood back up and started walking again until he walked into something tall
and covered in bark. “My granddad was right, this is scary”, he thought. He
stood up again and started walking again but this time he tried to be very
carefully but suddenly he fell into a big puddle of water. Something grabbed
him and pulled him to the side. “Ribbit” said the stranger “What did you jump
into my house for?” “I’m sorry” said the mole. “I didn’t mean to. There’s no
mud around me to feel so I don’t know where I’m going.” The stranger laughed,
“Silly mole! Open your eyes. It’s not dark like in your home, there is light
everywhere!” As he did he could see everything. The rock he fell over, the tree
he bumped into, the pond he fell into and the helpful stranger, Mr. Frog.
Suddenly the outside wasn’t odd and scary anymore but was exciting and
wonderful. All because he opened his eyes to the light and saw everything in a
new way.
We can be a bit like that mole can’t we.
Feeling out through our lives, not really knowing what to do or where to go.
Life can seem a bit like finding our way in the dark, falling over thing we
come across. Jesus said that he is the ‘Light of the world’. No longer do we
have to go through life in darkness, instead Jesus brings us light and guides
us where to go. All we have to do is open our eyes to him and follow. He shows
us how to live, worshipping God and loving one another, and leads the way. No
longer do we have to stumble on our own because Jesus, the light, will lead us
if only follow.
You are the light of the world!
Mathew 5 vv.14-16
(Set up lamp under bucket) It’s
getting a bit dark in here isn’t it? It’s making it quite hard to read the
service sheet so I’ve decided that I’d bring along my lamp to help us all see.
Isn’t it wonderfully bright?! (Await response) It is on, so why
can’t we see the light? (Await response and remove bucket). Well that’s
much better now isn’t it! I suppose lights are only useful if we can see them
aren’t they. It’s a bit silly to have a light and then hide it away.
We’ve already looked this morning at how
Jesus said that he was the light of the world but now we have heard
something else Jesus said, that we are the light of the world. Light can be
catching. If we follow Jesus then we start to shine light just like he does; we
start to do what he does, to love good and shun evil, to worship like he does.
Therefore our lives shine out into the world like a light in the darkness.
It’s infectious to others around us too. When
people see how God’s family live and the light that we show, it shines on them
too. It shows how wonderful and good it is to below to God and shines light on
those things we do wrong so they can be made right. It’s attractive and draws
people into God’s marvellous light. It would be odd then wouldn’t it to hide
this light away, like hiding a lamp under a bucket. Instead we should shine the
light we received from Jesus to all around us by the way we live, act and
speak. Instead we let our light shine all around so that others can see and
start to follow God too.
It’s a bit like the Olympic torch. (Help: torch + 3 candles and Jason) It
is said that there is one flame in Greece that a torch is lighted from, which
lights the next torch and the next and the next until they spread all across
the world. God is that one flame, that one light. Jesus shared that with his
followers, who told others who told other until we get till today where Jason
has taken up the light which he will let shine out to share with others.
So then friends, see the light that Jesus
shines and then follow him like Jason has begun to do. Catch the light
yourself, live a life pleasing to God and attractive to those around you, then
shine it for all too see that they too can follow and shine too, pleasing their
Father in heaven. Shine as a light in the world to the glory of God the Father.
Amen Pray
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Till Next Time!
Till Next Time!
