Living as People of the LIght

            Our theme this weekend (March 29 & 30) is light and darkness.  The theme comes from the foundational scripture for our services, which is Ephesians 5: 1-2, 6-14.  The key from the scripture is verse 8:  “For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light.  Live as children of light.”  We are all familiar with the contrast between darkness and light.  Sometimes this contrast can be extended from darkness and light, to sin and redemption, death and life.  God calls us to be people of Light and Redemption and Life.

            But, what does it mean to be people of the Light in the 21st Century?

            We will be exploring this question at our services over the weekend.  In his Letter to the Ephesians, the writer catalogs a number of unethical behaviors, such as fornication, impurity, and greed, which are characteristics of Darkness.  Many of these behaviors are timeless in the sense that they are just as immoral today as they were at the time of the early church.  When we fall prey to temptation and commit unethical acts of darkness, then we sin.  Ultimately, sin is simultaneously turning away from God, while also defacing ourselves as children of God.  Yet, through repentance and confession, we can turn back towards God.  Even more wonderful is that we can be healed by God, so that we are renewed as God’s children of Light and Redemption and Life.

At the same time, there are other ethical dilemmas that confront us, which are unique to our time and place.  We live in a time, where we are confronted by great and rapid changes that create uncertainty about what is the right thing to do. Many of these ethical dilemmas are created by advances in technology. 

For instance, within modern medicine our ability to prolong life at the end has advanced incredibly over the past 50 years.  Today, we can sometimes continue a person’s biological functioning, in a “vegetative state," even though they may no longer be conscious and able to talk, interact, or think.  Persons in this condition may be kept alive indefinitely through “extraordinary life support procedures.”  It is at this point that families may be asked for permission to remove these extraordinary life supports and allow their beloved to die peacefully.  That is, the family must decide if it is time “to pull the plug.”  When faced with this ethical dilemma, how do Christians make the right choice for Light and Redemption and Life?

Ephesians tell us that we should be “imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us…” (verses 1-2).  In other words, we should pattern our lives after the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.  Our lives should be like a mirror reflecting the life and teachings of Jesus, in all that we say and do.  But, sometimes it requires great moral strength to withstand temptation and stand for what is clearly morally correct, while in other cases, the ethical dilemma is muddled and confusing because of uncertainty created by modern technology or contemporary society.  So, it takes great strength and insight to live as children of Light.

Come and join us this weekend, as we explore what it means to be people of Light in the 21st Century.  Our church is located at the corner of Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas.  We have two worship services each weekend:

 

Ø  Our contemporary service starts at 6 pm on Saturday evenings.

Ø  Our classic service starts on at 10 am on Sunday mornings.

Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.