“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
One night 50 years ago, a ship was trying to enter Cleveland harbor on Lake Erie. The ship rocked and pitched in the heavy seas as it struggled towards the port. The captain asked the helmsman if they were on course. The helmsman replied that they were as far as he could tell because the lower harbor lights had gone out. Having gone too far to turn back safely, the captain ordered the boat to continue ahead because there was nothing else they could do. Unfortunately they missed the channel, hit the rocks of the harbor and sank, losing many lives in the process.
Jesus said, “Let your light so shine among men…”, but often times we don’t understand just how important our light is for other people. There are dozens of people around us who literally headed for the rocks of life, soon to be sinking if we don’t shine our light for them. We don’t have light of our own, but like the moon that reflects the light of the sun, we simply reflect the light of Jesus. In fact, for most people, the only true light they will see will come in the reflected light of Jesus in our lives. But that is enough, because it can guide them enough to enter into the safe port of our Lord. So shine your light so that others may see the rocks of life and enter the eternal port safely.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (ESV)