Let It Shine

Oh, they look back on the last almost year now. I really reflect back to when I was a kid. I learned to play guitar and I learned to play country western music. I used to sing songs about Jesus, and I did that for many years of my life, but I didn't know Jesus.

Twenty years later, from the time I got saved, I was given the opportunity to actually become a worship leader. That was in about 2013 and 2014. As things were going along great, the ministry was thriving, my life was thriving, and I was at the height of my professional life. I had a beautiful wife, four beautiful kids, and seven beautiful grandchildren. Life was just really going along like I couldn't believe.

Then, in April, on a Friday night, I woke up in the middle of the night with a stomachache. I thought that maybe I had just eaten too much at the turkey dinner. I woke up on Monday morning and decided I needed to go to the emergency room, so we did. I still didn't think that it was anything serious; I thought it was something minor that I needed to get checked out.

I remember the doctors in the emergency room suddenly getting serious, saying, "We're going to do some more tests." At about three o'clock that afternoon, they came back with the results of the tests and told me I had Stage Four pancreatic cancer that had metastasized to the liver. I remember everything stopped.

On April twenty-eighth, the doctor said to me with a very blank expression, "You have maybe six months, maybe twelve months to live." When you receive news like that, you think you hear about other people who have received it, but when you receive it yourself, you just can't explain what happens. Of course, the questions immediately roll into your mind: Why? What? This can't be true. This isn't true. I'm in a dream. This is real. This is somebody else's life. This is my life. Because, God, I'm serving You.

We ultimately decided to try chemotherapy, so I started the first round of treatment. The amazing thing is what it did to me; it led me into this valley, really feeling more sick than I ever did with just the cancer. During this time, the closeness and the distance from the Lord were both ends of the spectrum. At times, in this pain and suffering, and during this time of treatment, I felt so close to God, and I knew He was there. But then there were times that were very dark, and I couldn't feel God's presence at all.

I went through the next round of treatment and got scans again. In this next round of treatment, I reached a low that was lower than I had ever been in my entire life. I remember praying to God, "Just take my life. Just take me. I can't do this anymore." God brought to me Job 37:10, which says, "Job, pay attention. Remember the miracles I've done." It's loosely paraphrased, but I could hear God saying, "Richie, pay attention. Look at the miracles."

We got the results of the new scans, and Dr. Lee said, "The tumor's gone. It's not there." The doctors were puzzled; they didn't know what to say. He said, "That never, ever happens."

I have nothing to say; it's a miracle. God had delivered, God had healed. He had done something the medical community can't explain. He did something that no one could explain. There's no answer. He moves mightily, and He still does today. What He did, He never changes. He still heals; He still meets you.

I read in the Scripture about people who have been healed, like the blind man. Many people in the Gospels are healed, but you don't hear about what happened afterward. In my case, it drives me to trust Him even more for continued healing. God is good, isn't He? It's an awesome thing to see what God still does.

Rich Gary, who many of you know because he leads us in worship pretty often here at the church, has a story that reflects the many things God is doing. It's awesome to see God move. In fact, it was just several months ago after the third service that I was standing down here praying with some people. Someone came up to me who was fairly new to the church, and he had a grave look on his face. His wife was standing there with tears in her eyes. He said, "We need prayer. There's been a test, and we're concerned that it might be cancer."

Rich was standing just a few feet away, and I said, "Rich, would you come over here? Let's pray for this guy." We laid hands on him and prayed. A few days later, I received an email from him. He said they ran some more tests, and there was no cancer. We just praise the Lord; God is good.

The following Sunday, after the third service, another guy came up with the same look on his face. His wife was standing with him, tears in her eyes, and he said the exact same thing: "They've run some tests, and we're concerned it might be cancer. I have some more tests this week." The guy we had just prayed for, Don, was standing a few feet away, so I said, "Don, would you come over here? Let's pray."

We prayed, and the following week, Joe said, "Don, there's no cancer. The tests showed no cancer." God answers prayer.

This is why every single week we ask for your prayer requests. It’s not just prayers for healing. There are times when people pray, and there is no apparent healing in that moment, but God is still working; He is still doing something.

There are prayer requests that we receive week in and week out. Sometimes someone is praying for a job. They have been praying, they put in a prayer request, and we pray. Then, a week or two later, they share that the Lord gave them a job. We also hear of people receiving spiritual and emotional healing. We hear of family members who walked away from the Lord coming back to the Lord because God works through prayer.

Where prayer is focused, power falls. I am Bounds, a great man of God, once wrote this. We know that God hears and answers prayer because He wants to magnify His name. He wants to glorify His name, and He wants us, His people, this church, to be a light shining in a dark place—a light of hope, goodness, and grace.

Today, we’re going to look at a passage that serves as an interim step between where we were in the book of Philippians and where we’re going in the book of Colossians. If you would, open your Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew, about two-thirds of the way through the Bible, at the opening of the New Testament, right before the big books of Mark, Luke, and John.

We will be in Matthew chapter 5. If you don’t have a Bible, you can raise your hand, and one of our ushers will bring you one. As you’re turning there, would you mind standing with me?

Matthew chapter 5 is a portion of Scripture referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. It was a sermon of teaching that Jesus gave while sitting on a mountain, and it encompasses Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7. Today, we’re just going to look at the opening of Matthew chapter 5, beginning at verse 1.

Matthew 5, verse 1: "And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain." Jesus did this, and when He was seated, His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall..."

Obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For so persecuted they the prophets who were before you.

You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Father, that is my hope and my prayer for us as a church, for me, and for my family personally. That we would be a light that shines in a dark place, a beacon of hope, grace, and goodness. This is a world that is dark and in need of hope, grace, and goodness. So, God, would You equip us or continue to teach us how we can be more effective in shining Your glorious light to a dark world? Transform us today by the renewing of our minds that we would be able to reveal what is Your good and perfect will. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those who had agreed said, "Amen." You can be seated.

I love the way that this passage of Scripture opens. Seeing the multitudes—if you've ever read through the Gospels, especially Matthew, Mark, and Luke—you follow some of the life and ministry of Jesus. You see that as Jesus began His ministry, He preached to people and healed the sick. It is described that He cast demons out of those who were demon-possessed. He fed multitudes, and people began to follow Him everywhere.

As he traveled from city to city, there was always a crowd of people with him—the multitudes. In this passage, we see that Jesus was well aware of all that was happening around him. So often, we are completely oblivious to the things happening around us. Maybe you can identify with me in this. I find myself feeling this happen quite frequently. I'm one of those people who can zero in on something, and when I do, I zone out everything else.

Then, all of a sudden, I hear a voice coming from a distance. It starts softly and then gets louder and louder: "Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad!" What? What? What? One of the four little ones who call me Dad has been saying it for quite some time. If you've never experienced this, I’m sure your wife has called out to you: "Honey, dear, Miles, hello!"

I often find myself saying, "Oh, hey, hi! Yes, sorry, where was I?" I don't know; I'm not sure, but I'm back now. It was a good trip, and I feel refreshed. I almost feel bad to admit it, but this happens way more than I want to acknowledge. I leave here at the end of the day, drive home, and pull into my garage, only to realize I don't remember anything that just happened over the last 15 minutes of driving, which is scary.

I'm sure none of you have ever experienced that. We can be so oblivious to things, so unaware of our surroundings. To illustrate this, I have a quick video I want to show you. It's an awareness test. Watch carefully: this is an awareness test. How many passes does the team in white make? The answer is 13. But did you see the moonwalking bear? How many of you got 13? How many of you...?

Missed the moonwalking bear? How many of you missed it the second time?

Point number one on your outline: you have your sermon guide in your bulletin. We see only what we're looking for. That's why I'm grateful that this passage opens with seeing the multitudes. There's a wonderful story in the Gospel of Luke that illustrates this perfectly. You can turn there if you'd like. Here in the Gospel of Matthew, just turn to the right two books to Luke chapter 19.

In Luke chapter 19, beginning at verse 1, there's a story told about a man named Zacchaeus. Some of you know that name, especially if you've taught children's ministry. Zacchaeus was a wee little man; a wee little man was he. Yep, you know that one. But let me introduce you to Zacchaeus.

It's written in Luke chapter 19, verse 1: "Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho." He's not going to stay there; that's what it means that He entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector. Everybody go "boo" for the chief tax collector! He was rich, which of course presents some problems.

He sought to see Jesus; he wanted to see who Jesus was, but he could not because of the crowd, and he was of short stature. So, he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.

When Jesus came to the place where he was, He looked up and saw him and said to him, "Zacchaeus, quickly come down, for today I must stay at your house." So, Zacchaeus made haste, came down, and received Jesus joyfully.

But when they, the crowd, saw it, they complained, saying, "He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." Well then, Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half my goods to the poor, and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold." That's more than the law required.

Jesus said to him, "Today..."

Salvation has come to this house because he also is a son of Abraham. Now notice this verse: "For the Son of Man, Jesus, has come to seek and to save that which was lost." The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Jesus looked up and saw him, even though there was a press of people all around. There were people trying to get His attention, trying to ask Him questions, seeking His help, seeking salvation, or seeking healing—whatever it may be. People were all around Him, and here at this level, there was a little guy up in a tree. Jesus looked up and saw him because Jesus came to seek and to save that which is lost.

We only see what we're looking for. It's a reality. If you're looking for the white jerseys passing the ball, you're watching that intently, so you miss everything else that's going on. Nobody in here counted the black shirt passes, did you? We're not looking for that; that's not the focus.

But Jesus, when He came, saw the multitudes. In the Gospel of Mark, chapter 9, verse 36, it says, "In seeing the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, for they were like sheep that were scattered with no shepherd." He was moved with compassion for the multitudes of people because they were scattered, hurt, lost, and hungry. They needed what He had, and so He was moved with compassion.

His response is amazing in Mark chapter 9. Immediately after that, He turns to His disciples. Even though there is this multitude of lost sheep, He turns to His disciples and says, "Pray the Lord of the harvest that He will send forth workers into the harvest." What is Jesus doing there with His disciples when He says that in Mark chapter 9, verse 36? He is trying to change what they're looking at.

Point number two on your outline: Jesus wants to adjust our focus. Jesus wants to adjust our focus; that's His aim. Why does Jesus want to adjust our focus? Because the fact is, we are missing it so often. Our focus is wrong, and we don't see what's going on. Jesus sees the multitudes.

Back in the passage in Matthew chapter 5, it says, "And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain, and when he was seated, his disciples came to him." This was the position of a teacher, a rabbi in that day. He would sit down, and those who followed him would come and listen. They knew that when he sat down, it was an opportunity to listen.

He sees the multitudes of hurting, hungry, and lost people, and his response to this is not to immediately take care of their hurts, hearts, and hungers. Instead, he goes up into a mountain and sits down. Why does Jesus do this? Why not focus on all the issues and problems that need to be addressed? That would seem to be what we should do.

He does this because he is moved with compassion for the multitudes. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. He knows that his time here on earth is short, so he must call to himself and teach those who will fulfill the mission of reaching the multitudes. He goes up into a mountain, sits down, and his disciples come to him so he can adjust their focus.

He begins to teach them, and this teaching is geared to adjust their focus. He says in Matthew chapter 5, verse 3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit." The word "blessed" there is translated in some other English translations as "Oh, how happy!" This blessed word, used repeatedly in these opening verses of Matthew chapter 5, is referred to by Bible teachers as the Beatitudes. Some of you have heard that word "Beatitude" before, and oftentimes it causes confusion. What does that mean?

A Beatitude isn't necessarily an attitude that I need to have; it is simply a condition of blessing. As I have referred to it before, it's a blessing algorithm—an equation for blessing. This is the path to blessing. The world is constantly telling us different paths to blessing. The path to blessing is an education. The path to blessing is a good career. The path to blessing is a padded 401(k). The path to blessing is a house, a family, a dog, and 2.1 kids for replacement rate. So, that's the path to blessing, and we are constantly being...

Bombarded with the idea of the path to blessing, let me tell you something: cancer does not fall into the equation of the path to blessing in the American reality. The words of Jesus are completely dissonant with this modern path to blessing. "Blessed are the poor in spirit." There’s a cognitive dissonance that happens when you hear those words. Many people think, "That's just not true. That's just stupid. That's ludicrous." It doesn't align with what we're being told or what we feel internally.

What Jesus is saying is profound. Remember, Jesus is trying to adjust the focus of His disciples. "Blessed are the poor in spirit." Then He says, "Blessed are those who mourn." That seems like absolute insanity. How can those who are sorrowful be happy? It doesn't seem to fit. "Blessed are the meek." There are many ways to describe meekness; people often talk about strength under control. That’s nice, but in this context, meekness seems more aligned with the reality of recognizing your own nothingness.

So, blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are the meek, and blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. These statements don’t seem to fit with what we think would be the path to blessing. However, I see these Beatitudes as a progression. Jesus is trying to take His disciples—and you and I, if you're a follower of Jesus today—to a different focus. He wants us to become what He ultimately desires us to be, as described in Matthew 5:16: "You are the light of the world."

In verses 13 through 16, He is trying to move us to the place where we are a beacon of hope to a lost and dying dark world. To do that, He has to alter our focus and change what we set our minds, our focus, and our attention on. That’s why He says seemingly crazy things like, "Blessed are those who are poverty-stricken spiritually." I believe this is a progression because you cannot...

To become an inheritor of the Kingdom of God, nor can you become a light shining the beacon of the Kingdom of God, if you do not first come to the place of recognizing your spiritual poverty. Blessed are the poor in spirit.

We live in a time where people are becoming less religious. Fewer people identify as Christians; it's a cultural shift in our nation. There is no longer an expectation that people will be Christian, nor is there really any social benefit in society to being a Christian. As a result, less and less people identify as Christian, but they will identify as spiritual. That's the common thing that people will say in postmodern 21st-century Western culture here in the United States of America: "I'm not really Christian; I'm spiritual."

What does that mean? Well, it can mean all kinds of different things. People self-define what spiritual is. Sometimes they experience spirituality through contorting their bodies through yoga. Sometimes they try to experience spirituality through hallucinogenic drugs. Others may seek spirituality through long treks into the wilderness or by doing extreme activities like jumping out of airplanes. They engage in these sorts of things to try and experience some sort of feeling, claiming that in those moments, they are connected with something bigger than themselves.

The reality is that every single one of us is spiritually poverty-stricken. We have nothing with which to offer to God. For us to inherit and have any value in the Kingdom of Heaven, we need to come to the place of recognizing our total spiritual bankruptcy. Jesus says that this recognition is a happy thing.

You know what we call that recognition today? We call it a midlife crisis. There is a midlife crisis illustrated for us in the story of a man by the name of Saul of Tarsus, recorded in the book of Acts, chapter 9. This man had worked his entire life at being religious, at being spiritual. He dedicated himself to a form of religious obedience that you and I cannot even comprehend. Everything about his life was dedicated to this endeavor.

Then, in one moment, on the road between Jerusalem and Damascus, 2,000 years ago, he had a massive midlife crisis. A midlife crisis is where you come to the recognition and realization that...

Everything you've worked so hard for is for nothing; it's rubbish. There, he met the risen Lord Jesus Christ, and everything he thought he knew was cast down and broken. He had a midlife crisis, but that's the entry point.

Blessed! Oh, how happy is the one who is poor in spirit! Why? For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Would you circle the word "for" in your Bible? If you go through this passage, you will find that word "for" used over and over again. The condition of being poor in spirit, or sorrowful, or brought to a place of total littleness, meekness, or being starving and thirsting for righteousness—because you have none—is not a blessing. However, the result of that condition is: blessed are the poor in spirit. This makes no sense without the "for," because theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn. After seeing their spiritual bankruptcy, they sorrow over it and mourn over it. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. The word "comforted" there is the Greek word "parakaleo," and it is related to the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Blessed are those who are meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

See the word "for"? It's used repeatedly. There is no blessing in the aspect of poorness of spirit, mourning, or meekness without the resulting "for." Jesus is trying to change the focus of His disciples.

How is He doing that? Well, point number three on your outline: our focus must be on the ends more than the means. We live in a culture that tells us that the ends are pleasurable, happy experiences. The problem with the ends being pleasurable, happy experiences is that those pleasurable, happy experiences fade away and end up not being very pleasurable or happy.

I'll give an example. Two months ago, I had a pleasurable, happy experience: we paid off our family car. Yes, praise the Lord!

Off no more four hundred and six dollars a month to Chase Bank. Awesome! This is great. Then, two weeks ago, the car was totaled when someone ran into my wife. She's okay, but the car is gone—totaled. My pleasurable, happy experience is gone. I am no longer happy.

We live in a culture that says the end is a pleasurable, happy experience. The problem is that those often become unpleasurable, unhappy experiences. It's cancer. If your focus is on pleasurable, happy experiences as the end of your joy and salvation, then when that pleasurable, happy experience is no more, you are left with despair and darkness. Jesus wants to change our focus. He wants to shift it from the means to the ultimate ends, and the ultimate ends are not here.

That's what He is doing with His disciples. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. That's the end. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. That's the end. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. That's the end. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled with righteousness—not of themselves, but from somewhere else. That's the end.

We are moving through this progression so that God can move us somewhere else to be profitable for His kingdom. That profit for His kingdom begins to come when He says things like this: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. God wants you and me, as followers of Jesus, to become merciful. We live in an unmerciful society, a merciless society.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. He wants to make us pure in heart. He wants to transform us from the inside out so we are different and ready to see Him, to be in His kingdom. Then He says, blessed are the peacemakers. He wants to take you and make you a peacemaker—one who extends peace to people who are at war with God. The Apostle Paul refers to it in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 as a ministry of reconciliation, going and reconciling people who are warring with God back to God. So, He wants to make us.

Peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. Now, the sad reality is that those people who walk into these things often end up in a world that is totally against them and are persecuted. He says, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake." Why? For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. He takes us back to the very thing he said in verse 10, verse 3: it's the kingdom of heaven. Then he adds this: "Blessed are you." He brings it home to us when they revile and persecute you and say all forms of evil about you for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad! Why? For great is your reward in heaven. For so persecuted they the prophets who were before you.

Our focus must be on the ends more than the means. God wants to take you, if you're a follower of Jesus, and bring you to the place of verses 13 through 16. But that cannot happen without this progression and without this change of focus. He wraps it up by saying, "You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men."

My followers, Jesus says, are to be a salting agent, not an assaulting agent upon the earth. Salt brings flavor, but especially, salt is a preserving agent, particularly during the time when there was no refrigeration. He says, "You, follower of Jesus, if you're a follower of Jesus today, you are to be a salting agent that brings flavor to the world."

Well, how does salt do that? It is different from what it is coming on top of, so you need to be different from the rest of the world. How do you become different? You start to focus on the ends of God's glory more than the means of the happenings of this life. You become a salting agent, a preserving agent, a flavoring agent to a world that is in such desperate need of that.

Then he says to his followers, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, it gives light to all who are in the house." So let it shine! Let it shine! Let it shine! Let it shine before men. We have a perfect illustration of this here in North County because right over here in the north end of Escondido, San Marcos is a big hilltop community called...

Emerald Heights is a sight we see all the time, brightly lit up. You can't hide that. Of course, occasionally there's a fog bank that comes in and obscures it, but we are to be like a city set on a hill. Followers of Jesus, there is no such thing as a covert Christian; there's no double-oh-seven Christian. We are to be lights shining in a dark place. You don't light a lamp and put it under a basket, but high up so it gives light to everyone in the house, as Jesus says.

In the same way, Jesus has lit your life up if you're a follower of Him today, so that you would shine brightly in a world that is in desperate need. Jesus says in verse 16, "Let your light so shine before men." You are a light; don't hide it. Let it shine before men. How do I do that? So that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. You let that light shine as you work out these good works that He is talking about in this passage. As people see the good works of the Kingdom of God in your life, we could spend weeks discussing what those good works are, but I would simply say they are good works. Use your imagination. What is a good work? Things that are in line with the character and nature of God—those are good works.

God called His disciples 2,000 years ago, and He calls you and me, followers of Jesus today, to be salt and light in a world that is in desperate need of it. To be so, our focus needs to be adjusted.

Point number four: the difficult means we endure are for the ends of God's glory. I have to constantly remind myself of this because we all go through difficult times. Sometimes it's a very heavy burden, like the diagnosis of cancer. Sometimes it's the loss of the job that you worked so hard for, or the loss of a family member. It could be the loss of the house you are so invested in, or the shrinking of your 401(k). Whatever the experience, how can God be glorified through this? God wants to...

Glorify Himself in and through our lives, even in the hard things. I have to start asking that question. It's not an easy question to ask, and I'll be quite honest with you; there are many times I don't ask it until I've been well into the difficult moments. "God, how do You want to glorify Yourself in this? How do You want to glorify Yourself in this?"

Even in simply asking the question, there is an acknowledgment that, "God, You want to glorify Yourself in this. You have allowed this into my life to glorify Yourself in this." So, how do You want to glorify Yourself in this? I find many times the first step is to step back and see the Kingdom of Heaven. Like every single one of you in this room, I am tempted in my own nature, my own carnality, to think that my joy, peace, and salvation are found in the means of this life. It's just not.

Jesus says, "I have to change your focus so that you see what I want you to see and that you would be a light in a dark place."

Now, as I wrap up, a simple way to make a step to be a light in a dark place is to open up your house as a harvest house on October thirty-first. I'm going to give you a little plug here. It's an amazing thing; Halloween, in the last decade, has become the fastest-growing holiday in America for sales. Christmas has plateaued, but Halloween is on the increase. That's why you see these Halloween shops show up, and everybody wants to decorate their house on Halloween all scary and freaky and disgusting, if you ask me, to be quite honest with you. They think it's the coolest house if they have the scariest decorations.

Let me tell you something: little kids—I've done my market research—don't like houses like that. They just don't. We have an opportunity. Last year at our house, we did something super simple. We set up little pumpkins in a triangle pattern on the ground, and little kids took those glow-in-the-dark necklaces and threw them around them. It was totally cheesy, and you stand there like, "Here, have another necklace. Throw it on there. Yeah, that's awesome!" We were like, "Oh yeah, they're having the time of their lives."

Life is full of surprises, like kittens. I can't believe how amazing it is. We had a little game where we handed out coffee to the parents who weren't getting any treats on Halloween, along with some cake. The kids loved it! Our house became the coolest house on the street. It was an opportunity to reach out, and parents would ask, "Why are you doing this?" I would respond, "I just want to bring light to a dark night."

We are from Cross Connection Church, and we want to bring light to the darkness. Amen.

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer? Father, help me to see as You see. I realize that this takes a change of focus because my attention is often absorbed in the day-to-day happenings of life, which can be both happy and not so happy. God, it's so easy for me to think that my peace and joy come from those happenings.

But I pray that You would help me to see that Your kingdom is greater, bigger, and more glorious than anything that happens here. I pray that You would help me to shine that light in my neighborhood. I pray for my friends here today, my brothers and sisters, as they go to school campuses, office buildings, construction sites, or out to the grocery store. Even in their front yards, talking with their neighbors, help us to shine brightly with Your love, grace, and peace to people who are in such desperate need of light and hope.

God, shine through our lives, we pray. It's in Jesus' name that we pray. And everyone that agreed said, "Amen."