When John the Baptist is arrested, he wonders if he made a mistake in pointing to Jesus. He wonders if someone else is the Savior. Jesus points to the signs and wonders that he has accomplished that show he is the Messiah. In the same way, as a Church community we are called to bring healing to a broken in a world to point to Jesus who is the true light of the world.
Matthew 11:2-11
Last week in our Advent Series, “Let There Be Light”, we discussed how we are called to be Light to Others as Individuals. This 3rd Week of Advent we focus on how to be Light to Others as Community.
Jesus came into this world to save and redeem the world. He did this by his whole life, death, and resurrection. His cross and resurrection are essential but so were his life, teaching, and actions. The redemption of the world does not just mean that Jesus came to save our souls from our sins. Jesus did so much more than just saving one part of us. He came to bring about healing and redemption of the whole person and the whole world, all of creation. His cures and miracles of healing were all signs of the greater work God was doing and that God’s grace was available to everyone.
After Jesus died and rose from the dead, the early Church continued his work. They knew Jesus personally and wanted others to know him as well. Their mission was to bring about the redemption of the world by bringing people into a relationship with Jesus Christ. But they didn’t just tell people about Jesus and preach about him. They acted as Jesus did. This is why the book describing their efforts is called Acts of the Apostles. They made an impact by caring for the sick among them whom no one else would care for. They gave attention to the least influential or powerful members of society – slaves, the poor, women, children. In a time when human life was cheap and disposable, they cared for people. They became a light in a very, very dark world.
Pray for our Church. Pray that we would work together to bring God’s love and light into our dark world. Pray that our efforts will help people in need.
