The title of today’s proclamation is a two-word statement, or since it lacks a verb, a two-word sentence fragment. There is no punctuation mark at the end. Without a verb it can’t be a declarative statement. Perhaps the verb is understood: “What darkness [there is],” making this a flat statement. In a Progressive Insurance commercial Flo tries to say unemotionally that people could save 15% or more with Progressive. She fails and has to correct herself with a monotone, “Woohoo.”
There are two possible punctuation marks that can end this sentence fragment.
The first is the exclamation point, “What darkness!” That’s the one for people who look on the world and all they see is darkness, evil, sin, terrorism, war, poverty, hatred, oppression, crime, injustice, drug addiction, shoddy workmanship, price gouging, alcoholism, falsehood, greed, egotism, etc. The list is never-ending and each of us could add our pet world ill to the list. The darkness of the exclamation point is pervasive, total, complete, all-encompassing.
Have you ever gone to an underground cavern? Paula and I took our children to the Ohio Caverns near Bellefontaine. We descended into the cave. The steps and path were well-lighted. Halfway into the tour, the guide turned out all the lights and gave us an experience of total darkness, darkness into which no light intruded, no matter how long we might wait to let our eyes adjust. Such is the darkness of the world as seen by those who would use an exclamation point and say, “What darkness!”
The other option for punctuation is the question mark. “What darkness?” Those who use the question mark ask, “What darkness? I don’t see any darkness.” The thrust of this punctuation is totally different. Rather than looking for dark clouds to blot out silver linings, these people choose to look for the silver linings; indeed they create silver linings for dark clouds. For them the Light of the world, Christ, left the world at his ascension and entrusted the illumination of the gospel to lesser lights, Christians, you and me.
The Heidelberg Catechism, one of the confessions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), asks this question: “Isn’t Christ with us until the end of the world as he promised us?” The answer is, “Christ is true human and true God. In his human nature Christ is not now on earth; but in his divinity, majesty, grace, and Spirit he is never absent from us.” There is light and it is not now – nor ever will be – extinguished.
Our world is crying for light. In the darkness we grope for truth, for meaning, and for purpose in life. As Christians we are the means by which the only true light for the world can shine today. If we are true to the calling Christ gave us, we have to proclaim with John that the light came into the world and the very darkness itself was wiped out. Things appear very pale as we peer into the seemingly chronic dimness, but the light shines unceasingly. Because of our belief in Christ, we will choose the question mark and say, “What darkness? There is no darkness. There is Christ.” We are the light of the world for today..
A Sunday school superintendent, named Mark, tells about greeting a new family at church, mom, dad, and three daughters. The youngest girl was five-year old Sarah. Mark told her how glad he was that Sarah had come to the Sunday school that morning. Sarah up and kicked him in the shin – hard. Mark thought, “This is a fine way to begin our friendship.” But he resolved to be kind to her.
The next Sunday Mark welcomed Sarah with determined friendliness, and she kicked him in the shin – hard and twice. He wasn’t sure if they were going to be friends or not, but he decided to keep trying.
One Sunday Mark sat in church and noticed that Sarah and her family were sitting at the other end of the pew. Sarah was closest to him and soon she slid over to where he was and snuggled up him. Suddenly she looked up and said, “Mr. Mark, I hate you.” “I know,” he said. He thought to himself that at least it was better than getting kicked in the shin.
Time passed. One Sunday he went to the kindergarten room. The children were all seated in a circle listening to a Bible story. Mark tiptoed in, got a tiny chair, and sat down at the edge of the circle. Pretty soon a little boy stood up and came and sat on his knee. Sarah then came and sat on the other knee. She didn’t say anything or look at Mark. But she did reach out and took his hand. He thought, “Maybe this will work out after all.”
And it did. Now when they meet Sarah runs to him and throws her arms around him and he gives her a big hug.
In a humorous but very graphic way, this story illustrates the two basic conditions of people in God’s kingdom on earth. There are those, like Sarah, who want the light of love more than anything. They hunger for it, reach out for it, and are drawn to those who offer it to us. They may be 5 years or 55 years old and still inside they’re like Sarah. They desire to be held and loved, no matter how many times they’ve kicked people in the shins. You see, the kicking is part of the human condition. It’s a test to sift out the people who offer the light with their mouths but who go away when they get kicked in the shins. Then Sarah can say, “See, I told you they don’t really love me.” Has anyone you’ve tried to love ever said to you, “You don’t really love me,” as a challenge to prove it?
There are many Sarahs in our lives.
The second kind of person in God’s kingdom is typified by the Sunday school superintendent. They are Light Givers, ones who know that the light of Christ’s love is stronger than any darkness the shin-kickers can offer; Light Givers, one who know in their hearts that the reason Sarahs kick is because they are desperately in need of Christ’s love. The Sarahs will seldom admit their need. It takes the eyes of faith to perceive the darkness. Our Lord identified the eyes as the light of the body. If you are a Sarah and your body is filled with darkness you will see another Sarah as a nasty brat. If your eyes are sound and you are filled with Christ’s light, you will seek out darkness and its need for love.
The difference between the Sarahs and the Light Givers is expressed in secular terms through a parable you may be familiar with:
Once upon a time there was a frog. But he wasn’t really a frog. He was a prince who looked and felt like a frog. A wicked witch had cast a spell on him and only the kiss of a beautiful maiden could save him. But no one wanted to kiss this frog. So there he sat – an unkissed prince in frog form. One day a beautiful maiden came along and gave this frog a great big smooch. Crash – Boom – Zap! There he was – a handsome, dashing prince. (And you know the rest – they lived happily ever after.)
So what is the task of the church?
To kiss frogs, of course. Our Lord addresses his command in today’s gospel to those who have received the light. He gives us a specific guideline for being light for others.
People do not “light a lamp and put it under a basket.” Instead, they put it on top of a lampstand, and it shines on all who are in the house.” It is assumed by the lighting of a lamp that there is darkness. As Light Givers, whenever we are aware of darkness around us, we are to go into the middle of it (like the lampstand) and shine the Light of Christ.
This is not our nature. Consider the darkness of depression. If you had an hour to visit someone and you had two choices – Bill who is always cheery and positive or Marie who is so depressed that all she can talk about is the pit she sees herself in – what is your natural choice? For most of us, we would say Bill. Why would we want to talk with someone who is such a downer and brings us low. Yet, where is the need for the lamp?
Unless we are specially trained, we cannot fight the darkness of another’s depression. They will drain positive energy out of us and we will feel totally exhausted. However, if we approach the darkness spiritually, with prayer and total surrender to the power of Christ, he not only supplies us with light which does not drain away, he also supplies the other person with light and love also. It may take a while, but the light can thaw the depression. Thus, the lamp “shines on all who are in the house.”
We all have a Sarah bearing the darkness of depression, irritability, or need. Whatever causes our Sarah to kick our shins, that is the darkness where we are to place our lampstand.
Our Lord does not merely stop here. All of us can share some Light on occasion, but remember Mark. His shins were kicked for quite a while before the Light shining through him could reach and wipe out Sarah’s darkness. Thus Jesus continues, “In the same way, let your light shine before people, so they can see the good things you do and praise your Father who is in heaven.” The Light Giver is to give the Light of Love through her deeds so that the person will realize it is Christ’s light shining and not merely a passing good deed. And sometimes to accomplish this we may have to sacrifice in order to show the Light.
Two brothers were having some difficulty over a property line. John was very bitter and wrote Alex as follows: “You have cheated and robbed me of what rightfully belongs to me. You know that the row of poplars is the property line. You have no right to build a fence on my side and claim the ground for yourself. I shall sue you and make you pay every dime it is worth.” Alex was a Light Giver. He reply was a living example of Jesus’ second guideline. He said to his brother, “Father’s will said the property was to be equally divided. By survey I have placed the fence where the division comes. However, both of us are in good standing in this community and I do not want our neighbors to think that we are not Christians. Neither of us can use the ground under the poplar trees, for nothing will grow there. If you will meet me with the surveyors I will allow you to place the fence where you want it and we will make a permanent record in the surveyor’s office that you have 126 feet and I have 118 feet. I have no objection if you want more than your half.” Christ’s light shone brightly into John’s darkness. There was not only the light of love but also the light of truth. John was humbled and dropped the matter.
“In the same way let your light shine before people, so they can see the good things you do and praise your Father who is in heaven.”
What darkness? In Christ there is no darkness because he is the Light of the world.
Unless noted otherwise, all scripture references are from The Common English Bible, © 2011 www.commonenglishbible.com.
Copyright © 2017 First Presbyterian Church of Waverly, Ohio. Reprinted by permission.
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