I am writing a sermon on Matthew 5:13-16 for my last requirement of the Conference Lay Ministers (CLayM) training. The sermon started out as a fire and brimstone exhortation for people to be the salt of the earth and to do good in the world. But our preaching teacher encouraged me to take another look at the second part of the passage where Jesus tells the disciples that they are the light of the world from the perspective of what motivates us to do good in the world. As I mulled over the passage, I was reminded that our call to act with compassion and justice comes from our own personal experience of God’s love rather than a response of duty and obligation. In Wesleyan terms, it is that personal experience is a warming of the heart.
This week’s theme from Catch Fire in 50 Days is “Keep it Burning.” In order to burn, a fire must receive oxygen and then it emanates that heat and light. In order for the fire to sustain itself, oxygen must be converted to heat and light;; otherwise, the fire will suffocate and go out. Similarly in our own faith journey, we receive the love of God and we must respond to the call by taking action; otherwise, our faith will stagnate and dim. I pray that our faith keep burning and that we shine brightly in the world.
How are you doing in the Catch Fire Challenge?
Have you been reading the daily devotionals?
What have you noticed, heard, learned?
As the week begins anew, you are invited to re-commit to the challenge – to open up space in your own life, to be present, to read and reflect, and to invite the movement of the Spirit in your own life.
- Derek Lang