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Love and Light
Curt Wilhelmsen, Pastor, Millville/New Hope UMC
07-16-2010
“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
“We are made of two substances, love and light.” Those were the words of Carlos Santana during his July 4th concert at the Starlight Theatre.
From a biological perspective, I don’t know if this is a correct statement, but from a spiritual perspective, he is right on.
We are all created by the love of God. We are placed on this earth to reflect His light, which illumines our path as we journey together. It is through love, which God has saved us. It is with compassion he hears our prayers. It is with extravagant generosity with which He graces us with His blessings.
Our response is to reflect that grace into our world today. Not just with words, but in works of compassion and acts of courage. We reflect God’s light through caring ministries of service and generosity. We reach out with joy and love thanking God for the gifts He has blessed us with. If it weren’t for the grace of God, we would be nothing at all.
In an interview Carlos Santana remarked, “I would like it said his only allegiance is the heart of humanity. He transcended being Mexican or American, into the universal concept of ‘I’m not a drop of water anymore, but part of the ocean.’”
When you watch Santana play guitar, seldom is he at the front of the stage. He usually is back with the band, blending into the scene. Often, he diverts praise to his other musicians and gives credit for influences of his past.
In this era where a cable sports channel airs a one-hour “extravaganza” to announce a multi-million dollar contract for Lebron James with the Miami Heat, I find it refreshing to see a celebrity plead with the audience to do something nice for someone.
Jesus tells us to let our light shine – that light is the love of God shown to us through the life of Christ and the existence of the Spirit at work in the world today. By letting the Spirit work within us, we ourselves become invisible and that’s when the miracles really start to happen.
