Divine Stories - Lamp Under a Bowl | Sunday Message

Too often we blend in, stay quiet, or keep our relationship with God private because we're afraid of what others might think. But Jesus invites us to live differently, to let our lives point people toward Him.

In part four of our series, Divine Stories, you'll discover what it really means to let your light shine, why your everyday conversations and actions matter, and how God can use ordinary people to make an extraordinary impact. Whether you're struggling with fear, comfort, or simply wondering how to live out your faith more intentionally, this message will encourage you to stop blending in and start shining where God has placed you.

Transcript

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Welcome to the Do Life Different podcast by 1128 Community. Today you're listening to our most recent message. We are a church community in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, led by co-pastors Mike and Colleen Francisco. 1128 is about helping people do life different by setting rhythms and values with Jesus at the center. If you want to connect with us, text the word podcast to 414-441-1128. We hope today's message helps you in your faith journey. I grew up being the kid who did not want to be noticed. I wanted to blend in. I especially did not like to be noticed for something negative, like if I did something wrong. So because of this, I was a rule follower, kind of quieter kid. This also meant that I didn't like Halloween. Now, you might think that's a really big jump, but let me explain. I didn't like Halloween because of the costumes. I liked normal clothes, I liked how they helped me feel like I fit in. I felt like, you know, like, oh, my other clothes, like I looked like them, I'm like them. And when I put on a Halloween costume, I didn't have that. Like I didn't have that security. But in the school that I grew up in, we didn't have an option. Like we had to dress up on Halloween, which is funny to me now because now I don't think I've ever worked in a school, because I'm also a teacher that dresses up. But we had to dress up because at some point in the day there would be this like costume parade, right? So if the weather was nice enough in the Chicagoland in October, which, you know, it was hit or miss, the parents would like line up on the sidewalks outside of the school. But if the weather was awful, which most of the times it was, the parents would like all crowd in the hallways and they're standing there, and all of us kids then would parade around looking at each other's costumes, waving to our parents. And truly, if it was up to me, like I would not have worn a costume. I would rather like blend in that way, or like, you know, just use my normal clothes and like dress up as like a kid or a teacher or just something, again, that fit in. But there was this one year that I really, really liked butterflies. And so my mom said to me, like, hey, Colleen, do you want to dress up as a butterfly this year? And I can just like picture myself like sitting there and like processing, like, okay, will I blend in enough if I'm a butterfly? Will I stick out? Will there be other kids that are butterflies? So finally I was like, okay, yes, I'll be a butterfly. And this cart in this costume, it started out perfectly. But if you know my mom, you know she's really creative, and she never does anything half-heartedly. So it started out with like a black sweatshirt, black sweatpants, perfect, no problem. She even bought me like a little antenna, still no problem. And then I'm not sure where she came up with this because this is before the world of like Googling or Pinterest or like all the intro the um Instagram mom accounts. She got these two huge cardboard boxes. Like I'm talking like, I mean, I'm, you know, in elementary school at this point, but the wings were probably she cut out like this big. And she wasn't done. She cut out a pair for me and my sister because we usually matched, but she wasn't done. She then drew in this like intricate pattern of what you would see on a monarch butterfly. She did it on the front and the back, and then she painted it white, orange, and black, so that just like your eye would be drawn to the monarch butterfly, your eye would be drawn to my huge wings strapped to my back. Now, I my mom did know about me blending. So for most of the day, I could just wear my like black sweats. But walking down the hallway, bumping into people. Well, let's just say I did not blend in. And maybe we're a little bit similar in this way. Maybe maybe you like to blend in too. But often we want to blend in with more than just what we wear. We often downplay our faith in order to blend in, or we do it to go unnoticed, or maybe we do it to stay comfortable. Sometimes we might even want to purposely hide our faith. We don't want others to know what we believe or what we're doing. We worry about what others might think or assume about us, because sometimes we hear what is said about Christians and we don't want to be like confused with some versions of Christians, maybe. And so we stay quiet. When our coworker asks about our weekend, we don't mention church. When we're catching up over coffee or dinner with a friend, we don't share what God's teaching us or what we're reading in the Bible. We might share about what is going on with us, but maybe not the why behind it. And what I mean by that is like we might share, oh yeah, I was volunteering, I made meals for a Milwaukee rescue mission, but we don't talk about why we did it, or that we did it with a small group at our church, or that we did it because we felt compelled by our faith. And because we don't always want to be that all in, we limit the fullness of life that we actually experience. We were not saved to blend in, we were called to stand out. And this summer we've been exploring divine stories, or what you may have heard them called before, parables. And these are stories that Jesus would tell, short stories, and he used them to illustrate or show a principle of truth. Now, these parables drew all sorts of people to Jesus, his closest followers, those on the fringe, the religious elites, political figures, his dearest friends, and even his strongest enemies, because these stories truly drew people in because it connected with them personally. So today we're gonna go to Matthew, and I would encourage you to use the Bible for a second time on your table. And if you're in the adult Bible, it's gonna be on page three, we're gonna go to Matthew 5. Kids in the back, it's on page 1056. So yours is a little bit harder to find, adults, you have it a little bit easier. But as you turn to Matthew 5, and we're gonna start in verse 13, let's get a little bit of context. So Jesus in this passage is talking to a very like a huge group of people. You might have heard the Sermon on the Mount, and we find that like famous special sermon in Matthew 5 through 7, and we're at the beginning of this Sermon on the Mount. And Jesus says, You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden, neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Let's focus on the light that Jesus talks about. Jesus talks about how when you light a lamp, you would never put the lamp under a bowl. That that literally defeats the purpose of a lamp. Instead, even in our own homes, we make sure the lamp is central, up high, on a stand, or on a table, so that it can give light to the entire room, maybe even the entire house. Have any of you guys ever lost power before? Anyone? Okay, I see a bunch of nodding heads. Well, once when we lost power, I'm sure we used like the flashlight on our phone to dig out some candles. We lit these candles, we put them in the middle of the room, maybe a couple on the edges. But can you imagine if we took the time, as the power's off, to light these candles, put them in the middle of the room, and then we put a bowl over them? Like you just wouldn't do that. It just doesn't make sense. And that's what Jesus is trying to say about us and how we choose to live. Jesus says, you are the light of the world. Don't hide. Don't hide. Instead, put yourself in a place where your light can shine before others. Now, some of you might be sitting here saying, Okay, but I don't like being in front of people. Please hear this. Making sure to shine your light before others does not mean you need to be up front on a platform. It does not mean you need to be a public speaker, leading worship, any of those things. Because we're gonna keep reading from the message version, and it'll give us even just a little bit of like a another picture of what it could look like to be light. In the message version, it says, here's another way to put it you're here to be light. Bringing out the God colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light bears, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand, shine. Keep open house, be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. You are here on this earth, living among your neighbors, working among your coworkers, going to school with that specific group of friends to be light. God is not meant to be secret or something that is only private. In the message version, it says we need to go public with this. Have you realized that most cities are built in valleys or like low areas? And that was on purpose. It would allow the city to have protection, to kind of stay hidden. But Jesus says we're supposed to be like a city on a hill. A city on a hill, visible to all others around us. You are a light bearer. You should not hide under a bucket. We are instructed to shine. Then I love the ending. In the NIV or the version on your table, verse 16 says, in the same way, let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. The good works or the good deeds talked about, it's not a requirement of being saved. You don't have to do anything to be saved, but rather it's this outward expression of the changes that are happening inside. And good works, they're never meant to be like, hey, look at me, or to have others look at who we are. Instead, it's supposed to point others to our Father in heaven. The way that the message phrases this verse gives an even clearer picture of what this could look like. It says, keep open house. Be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. Be generous with your lives, with how you open up, with what you share, with how you are vulnerable to those around you. Because by opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God. You'll prompt people to open up with God. You matter. Your life, your story matters to others knowing God, and to being more open to being in relationship with Jesus because you were not saved to blend in. You were called to stand out. Have you heard that song? This little light of mine? Give me like a like a nod if you have. Anybody else sing it like me, where it's like, like, hide it under a bushel. No, I'm gonna let it shine. Hide it under a bushel. No, I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. You were created to shine, just like that song says, not to be hidden, because there are some versions that use the word bushel as well instead of bowl or bucket, not to stay quiet. Jesus came to save each one of us. And because of Jesus, we can be in relationship with God the Father. We can have a different life. Jesus came and died for us, arose again, and we can choose to follow Jesus and then have life to the full. Okay, you know that same song that I just sang? Will you help me sing it? So that same thing, hide it under. That's where we're gonna start. Are you ready? Okay. I'm serious. You have to sing with me, even those in the back. Okay. We have to sing it loud enough so those online can hear it. Ready? Here we go. Hide it under a bushel. No, I'm gonna let it shine. Okay, do you think you can do it louder? Okay, ready? Here we go. Hide it under a bushel. No, I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. Okay, that was kind of weak. Can we do just that last part? Ready? Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. Ooh, that was better. And you you did it. You were not, yes, good job, guys. You were not saved to blend in. You were called to stand out, to proclaim the story of grace, to love others, and to show that forgiveness and sacrifice from Jesus that that's changed who you are. It's not just like being a disciple ourselves, but it's helping others become disciples. It's making disciples. To not be satisfied with this like feel good face, but to live like Jesus in a way that honestly, yes, it is sometimes uncomfortable. To love like Jesus in ways that doesn't always make sense. And I've heard some stories in here. I know some of you are already doing this. You're living in uncomfortable ways. You're letting your light shine. The light you've been given is not meant to be hidden. But too many wonderful church-attending people, we forget our lights inside the building when we leave. You, me, all of us. We can do better at being intentional and making different choices so that others might see our light. And when we do this as a community, when we shine our light as a community, just like when we sang that song, it has a bigger impact, right? Than just me singing by myself. When we do it and when we're willing to do it boldly and loudly, it's an even greater impact than just that like quiet, timid version. Our light, our choices, it's powerful. It's community changing and it's life changing. This morning, we're gonna take some time to just be quiet. I feel like so often in our busy lives, in our hustle and in our bustle, we just we just don't have quiet. But this is intentional quiet for you to think about. Maybe write down the answer to even some of these questions that'll be up on the screen in just a second, like in a notes app on your phone? Are you hiding the light you've been given? Are you being generous with your life? Are there areas of your life where you could be more intentional or more generous? How could you include those God stories in daily conversation? And if you don't know answers, that's okay too. I would still encourage you to use this quiet and just to pray, God, how would you have me shine my light? Or even something as simple as taking the time to think about, God, what would being in relationship with you, what would that change? We are meant to be eye-catching like a butterfly. Eye-catching like that butterfly and not hidden like a moth. You don't also need to carry like that weight of feeling like you are the light of the world. Because really that's Jesus. Jesus is the light of the world, but as a follower of Jesus, we can be that light in the world. As we start these moments of quiet, let me pray. God help us be quiet with you. Help the words in Matthew 5 not just be words that we read today, but words that we carry with us, that we reflect on, that we think about. Help us think about what it means for us personally. God, you have made us light. You've given us light so that we can be light in this world. And we don't have to do it alone. In fact, we couldn't do it alone. But God, when we're with you, when we're in you, you give us the ability to be bold. You give us the ability to notice things that we didn't notice before. And so, God, this morning, I ask, I ask you to open our eyes. Open our eyes to where you might want us to be more intentional, bolder with sharing who you are in our lives. God, we thank you for the ability to be in relationship with you, to be, to be with you, to be loved by a God who sees us, who sees any mess that we have and loves us even still. God help this time be really, really impactful for each of us individually. Amen. Thank you for listening to today's message. We hope you had a meaningful moment with Jesus. You can join us on Sundays at Oak Creek High School at 10 a.m. for our in person gatherings. Hope to see you soon.