The image of light is a powerful symbol which runs through much of scripture, from the opening verses of Genesis all the way to the closing verses of Revelation. And it is a theme which also seems to help define the various seasons of the Church year -- from the light of God coming at Christmas to the sunrise of new life on Easter morning. One important way of understanding God is in terms of the radiant light of love and grace which shines forth into the world and into our lives, illuminating even the darkest corners. That is not only what God does -- it is who God is!

And it is also who we are -- or at least who we have been created and called to be. In Genesis we learn that we have been created in God's image. If God can be understood in terms of radiant light for the world, then we have some of that light in us as well. And God is not content to simply have such light be a part of us, lying dormant and unused in the dusty attic of our lives. God's challenge to us is to become light for a dark and hurting world. The prophet Isaiah understands himself to be speaking on behalf of God when he writes, "I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations..." (Isaiah 42:6) To the extent that we accept and participate in this challenge, we become God's agents in the world, acting on God's behalf to bring healing and transformation, to illuminate the darkness. And Isaiah understands this mission in very concrete terms -- opening the eyes of the blind and freeing prisoners. Of course this is about all sorts of blindness, such as people's unwillingness to see the pain of those around them or the humanity of their neighbors who happen to be different than they are. And it is about all sorts of prisons, such as those of poverty, or prejudice, or disease. But the point which Isaiah seeks to make is that the purpose of God's light shining in us and through us is to make a real difference in the lives of real people and real situations in the world.

In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus tells us that we are salt and light for the world. The point of our lives, Jesus seems to be saying, is to use the gifts which God has given us to touch the lives of those around us. Becoming aware of God's light present in our own lives and illuminating our own spirits is a wonderful experience. It is refreshing and exhilarating and brings with it a renewed sense of being fully alive. But to the extent that we keep such experiences to ourselves, we are failing to live up to God's best intentions in bestowing such gifts in the first place. In Jesus' words, "No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house." (Matthew 5:14) From the first moment of creation, the radiant light of God has been and continues to be for the whole world and all who dwell therein. And likewise, the light of God which is within us is intended to be shared with everyone.

It is, I believe, a matter of stewardship -- the responsible and faithful use of all the gifts with which our lives have been so richly blessed. Taken as a whole, such gifts can appropriately be described as the light of God. They shine in us, they illuminate our living, they have the potential to drive back the very darkness of the world in which we live. So often when the Church has talked about issues of stewardship, the discussion centers exclusively on money and paying the bills. But I am convinced that stewardship is a bigger issue than just money. It truly is about everything we do with everything we have, including both that which we keep and that which we give away, both the tangible stuff like money and possessions and the intangible stuff like attitudes and what we do with our time. The reasons why we ought to be serious about issues of stewardship certainly include the financial needs of the Church, but also must recognize the more basic reality that we need to give because it is built into our very nature and into the very nature of the gifts which we have received from God. We have received the light of God in order that we might let such light shine into the world through our living. And when we begin to live that way, we are taking seriously the practice of stewardship.

So what does that mean, in practical, down-to-earth terms? The list is literally too vast to even scratch the surface, because it is about every aspect of our lives in every moment of our living. When you encounter the clerk at the grocery store, is God's light shining through you in the way you speak and the smile you share? When you hear the news about yet another tragedy or yet another war in some far off corner of the world, is God's light shining through your life as you decide how you can respond to make a difference in that particular situation? When you are faced with tension within your own family, where differences between husband and wife or between parents and child threaten to break down the bonds of love which bind you together, is God's light shining through your life in the words you choose to speak or the silence you choose to maintain or the hug you choose to offer? When you make decisions about how to spend your money, from the purchase of a house to the purchase of a jar of peanut butter, is God's light shining through your life in the choices you make regarding the lifestyle you will maintain and the resources you will consume and the corporate attitudes and philosophies you will support with your purchases? And when you make a commitment to give a percentage of your financial resources to the Church, is God's light shining through your life in the good which can be accomplished and the lives which can be transformed because the Church has the resources with which to do God's work in the community and in the world? These are the kinds of questions which we need to keep before us as we seek to be faithful stewards of the light of God in our lives. It is not always easy, but it is ultimately rewarding. Because when we let our light shine into the world through our living, we are allowing God's gifts to rise to their highest potential. As we allow God to use us to light the darkness of the world around us, our lives are illuminated as well. Everyone benefits when God's gifts are shared. I invite you to let your light shine.

It is a part of who we are. It is a part of who we have been created to be. We are light bearers. God is the source of light in the literal, physical sense -- having created the sun, the stars, the physics and chemistry that make possible all forms of light everywhere. And God is the source of light in the metaphorical, spiritual sense as well -- offering us purpose and meaning, comfort and belonging, love and grace. And we are the recipients of God's gift of light. The apostle Paul put it this way -- "Now in the Lord you are light." (Ephesians 5:8)

And because we have received the gift of God's light, there are certain responsibilities which come with that gift. Specifically, the gift of God's light in our lives is given for the purpose of giving it away. It is meant to shine into the whole world -- bringing light and life to all of creation. Isaiah speaks of this in terms of the difference we are called to make in the lives of people who are still living in darkness -- loosing the bonds of injustice, freeing the oppressed, sharing bread with the hungry, providing the homeless with a home and clothing the naked. When you do this, Isaiah says, "then your light shall break forth like the dawn..." (Isaiah 58:8)

In all of this, it is remarkable to note that God's gift of light is not conditional -- with strings attached. We receive the gift because God chooses to bestow it upon us, whether or not we use it in appropriate ways, or even whether or not we use it at all. We can be conduits for sharing the light, or we can be resistant and closed off as we refuse to share the light. The intent of the giver and the full meaning of the gift can only be fully realized when we choose to allow God's light to shine through us. But we always have the choice. Which is why Paul finishes his comment about light with an encouragement to be active about the gift. "Now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light..." (Ephesians 5:8) It is not enough to receive the gift. We must make use of it.

Which brings us to the question of how. If we are recipients of the ongoing gift of God's light in our lives, and if we are challenged to let that light shine through us, then what does that mean for the ways in which we go about living? As you know, if you have paid attention at all to what I have said about stewardship in the past, I am a firm believer that stewardship is about much more than just money. It truly is about all of the choices we make and all of the actions we take regarding every aspect of our living. It is essential that we think about our stewardship responsibilities in terms of how we spend our time, how we use our talents, how we live our lives, both in the church and in the world. Having said that, however, it is also essential not to overlook the ways in which we give our money. Stewardship may indeed be about more than just money. But it cannot be simply about something other than money.

In our world today, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and helpless when we try to take seriously the challenge of making a difference. Isaiah's talk about injustice and the oppressed, the hungry, naked and homeless rings so true and we want to shine our light into that darkness. But in an age where we are barraged by news of tragedy and injustice and oppression and poverty even in the very moment it is taking place, it becomes easy to fall victim to compassion overload. The darkness is everywhere we look. How can our small light make a difference? In the up-close-and-personal sense, there really are always ways in which we can make a difference. I listed several examples in my sermon last Sunday, from smiling at the grocery clerk to loving your family in difficult times. We can't do everything, but we can always do something. But there are also important ways in which we can do much more together than we can ever do on our own. And that is where the giving of our money plays a critical role. By combining our resources we are able to shine God's light into situations far beyond our personal reach. The examples are many and varied.

Because of the resources which you have made available to this congregation, we have a presence on the internet and we have a full time pastor (that's me) who is able to minister on your behalf. Those two realities came together recently when a mother from Nova Scotia asked me to visit her son in the Latah County jail. The light of God was allowed to shine in ways which would not have been possible except by the combining of our financial resources.

This congregation contributes to Week of Compassion and One Great Hour of Sharing -- the disaster relief arm of our denominations. Those gifts recently made a dramatic difference in Central America in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch. None of our individual gifts or even any personal efforts we might have made, would have touched the enormity of the need. But because we contributed our money, which could then be combined with the financial contributions from other faithful congregations around the country, we have been able to shine God's light into the lives of countless people in ways which can only be described as miraculous.

We have committed ourselves to a major congregational effort which we are calling Project Rwanda. It is our intention to bring two young women from that violence ravaged country to our community next year so that they can go to school in a safe environment where they will be able to focus on their education. It is an excellent example of not being able to do everything, but being able to do something. It is a project which threatens to overwhelm me whenever I start thinking about how much time and energy and money is going to be required. But that is only when I make the mistake of taking the whole project on my shoulders. It will become a reality not through the efforts of any single individual or even any small group of individuals, but through the combined efforts of all of us, giving what we can towards the one common goal. When we do that, then God's light will shine into the lives of those two young women in ways which would not be possible otherwise. And God's light will shine into our lives in new and powerful ways as well.

Stewardship is about more than money. But the giving of our money plays a vital and essential role in enabling God's light to shine into the world. May we let God's light shine through our giving.