On February 3, 2013, the city of New Orleans hosted the Super Bowl. San Francisco played Baltimore. The Ravens won 34-31. It was a perfect evening for the National Football League, except for a few embarrassing moments. Early in the third quarter there was a blackout in the Superdome. Over 108.4 million people were watching the game when the lights suddenly went out. At the time, it was a big issue with a surplus of finger pointing. The media had a field day. They interviewed many about the situation.
One media outlet interviewed three women who were at the game. They were in one of the sections that grew dark. The interviewer asked them what they did. They said they did three things. First, they tried to stay calm. Second, they decided to stay together. Third, they left their seats and headed toward the exit. They never left the stadium, but they stood near the exit. One of the women said, “We stood near the exit and looked out into the city streets. We saw a light in the distance and decided to run toward that light if something went wrong.” That is the story of the Christian faith. At some point in your life, you ran toward “the light of the world” for protection. That takes us to our scripture reading.
Our scripture reading is Ephesians 5:8-14. The Apostle Paul wrote these words to the Christian congregation in the city of Ephesus, which is in present day Turkey, approximately the year AD 60. I had the good fortune to visit there last year. It is an amazing place, and the background of the epistle is important. Paul is not writing to them to address any problem. There is no sign of heresy or internal conflict. Instead, Paul is writing them with a word of encouragement. He is challenging them not to be content with their present spiritual condition. Instead, they must strive for perfection. In other words, they must strive to be a little more like Jesus every day. To completely understand the text, you must know Paul uses the word “light” to symbolize Jesus. His thought is not original. Jesus called himself “the light of the world” in John 8:12. That makes us, as disciples of Jesus Christ, children of the light, and as children of the light we are striving to become like Jesus.
That does not mean conversion is not important. Every conversion story stands on its own. There is no such thing as a good story or a bad story. It is just your story. Some conversion stories are filled with sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll. Like jumping off the high drive, everything changed in an instant. Some conversion stories lack fireworks. You waded into the faith because you were loved by Christian people. Your parents took you to church, enrolled you in Sunday school then confirmation class, and sent you to church camp or on a mission trip. When the Holy Spirit moved you, you accepted Jesus. No one noticed but you would never be the same again. How you accepted Jesus really doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is that you accepted Jesus. However, conversion is not the end of the story. It is the beginning of the story. It is the beginning of a journey that will consume your life.
I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior forty-nine years ago. I like to think I have made some progress in the faith. I hate to think my faith is the same as it was as a seventeen-year-old boy. Your spiritual growth is not an option, it is expected. 1 Peter 2:2-3 says, “Like newborn babes, carve spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” As children of the light, Jesus should transform your life. The bloggers at Divinity Jewells say Jesus should transform our lives in four ways.
Jesus transforms our minds. Romans 2:2 says, “Do not conform to the ways of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Paul understood one of the great influences on our lives is our environment. The country in which we are born, the community in which we live, the family in which we belong, all influence us. That is not always a bad thing, but there is a risk. The attitudes of our environment can run contrary to the ways of God. For example, we are taught to love conditionally, but Jesus loves unconditionally. Our attitudes should never completely be conformed to the ways of this world. Jesus must be the greatest influence on your life. My we never forget we are just visitors in this world.
Jesus transforms our desires. Psalm 37:4 says, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” What does your heart desire? It is a fair question. Many in our world desire the best for themselves. How many people do you know desire wealth, so they dream of winning the lottery? Others desire recognition, status, position, and fame. The world tells us to desire the best for ourselves, but Jesus desired the best for others. Sometimes it was the temporary things of this world – health and security. Sometimes it was eternal things – salvation. The spiritual mature desire what Jesus desired. Jesus desired what was best for others. What do you desire?
Jesus transforms our relationships. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus commands us to love one another the way that he loves us. In Matthew 26:37-38, Jesus tells us loving our neighbor is the second greatest commandment. How would your relationships change if you simply loved the people in your life? How much drama would you eliminate from your life if you simply loved the people in your life. And everyone in your life loved you? Our relationships are extremely valuable.
Jesus transforms our purpose. In my time in the ministry, I never forgot the bigger picture. I was not working for profit. I was not working for my church or my Bishop. I was working for the Kingdom of God. It consumed me. That is why my personal witness was important. That is why I gave my best to every church I served. John 15:16 says we are to bear fruit that will last. I hope I did. What is your purpose in life?
When I was in seminary, I served a small membership church in Garrard County, Kentucky. The people of the Pleasant Grove Christian Church were patient with me. They were kind to me at a time when I needed some kindness. Most of my parishioners are gone, but I long to worship in that church one more time. If I did anything positive in the ministry, it was because of them. They encouraged me at a time when I needed some encouragement. Without them, I would have left the ministry. That church had a custom that was unique. I have never experienced it anywhere else.
They called it the “The Fifth Sunday Hymn Sing.” The concept was simple. On the fifth Sunday of the month the various Christian churches in the county got together. The location rotated but the order of worship was constant. The host pastor welcomed everyone, invited the crowd to stay for refreshments, and prayed. We would sing a few congregational hymns, then all the choirs from the various churches shared two pieces. Near the end of the service the pastor would ask if anyone had a testimony to share. A few brave souls would come forward to speak. One man from the Mount Hebron Christian Church came forward every time we gathered.
He was an older gentleman who wore an old dark suit, yellowed white shirt and a tie with an American flag print. His story was simple and sincere. He was sixteen years old, and his mother insisted he attend the annual revival. Reluctantly, he went and sat in the corner of the back row. He expected to leave before the benediction, but the preacher talked about hell that evening. The topic grabbed his attention and he hung on every word. He didn’t want to go to hell, so when the altar call was given, he ran to the front of the church as the congregation sang “I Surrender All.” He ended his testimony full of emotions. His final words were, “Thank-you Jesus! Thank-you Lord!” It was a fine story.
I served that congregation for three years and I never missed a Fifth Sunday Hymn Sing, so I must have heard that gentleman’s story twelve times. I knew his testimony better than I knew my own. His testimony was excellent, but it was incomplete. I wanted to ask him if God had done something for him since he was sixteen years old? What was the rest of his story? The Apostle Paul was encouraging the Christians at Ephesus to continue to grow spiritually. As Children of the light, we must continue to grow spiritually too. American author and psychiatrist M. Scott Peck (1936-2005) once said, “The path of spiritual growth is a path of lifelong learning.”
Russ Adams 