KNU International English Church
Josh Broward
January 4, 2009
Imagine that the sun did not rise tomorrow. Imagine that the sun did not rise for many days, for many weeks, for many months, for many years, for many generations. Imagine that the whole world was draped in darkness.
Imagine yourself in that world of darkness. Imagine yourself walking, working, living, eating, sleeping, waking in that world of darkness. Imagine your children and your children's children in that world of darkness.
After many generations it would no longer seem dark, but only real. It is dark, but what is dark if you can't remember light? It is cold, but what is cold if you can't remember warmth? The darkness is constant but unknown, unfelt.
Imagine that suddenly, in one corner of the world, light appeared.
Maybe it was the light of the sun finally rising again. Maybe it was the light of a star. Maybe it was the light of a great fire. A great light shone in a dark world.
What would you do? In that great world of darkness, if you saw light, what would you do? In that great world of dark coldness, if you felt warmth, what would you do? How would you feel?
People from all around the world begin to travel to the light. They come on foot, on horses, in ships, in cars and busses, on trains, on camels. In every possible way, people come to see the light. People bring their children to see the light and to feel the warmth. The light shines and the people come.
And an amazing thing happens. As more and more people come, the light shines brighter and brighter. The heat grows warmer and warmer, like adding logs to a fire.
Another amazing thing happens. As people come to see the light and to feel the warmth, they are changed. The despair of the darkness had soaked through them, but now the light begins to warm their beings. As they soak in the light, the light makes hope and joy and peace bud tiny little green buds deep in their souls. And it's almost as if the light sticks to them. Like we're wet after taking a shower, the people are “wet” with light. The light has become part of them. They have become part of the light.
Isaiah said the leaders of God's people were blind and ignorant (56:9). “So there's no justice among us, and we don't know about right living. We look for light but find only darkness. We look for bright skies but walk in gloom. We grope like the blind along a wall, feeling our way like people without eyes. Even at brightest noontime, we stumble as though it were dark. … We look for justice, but it never comes. We look for rescue but it is far away from us” (59:9-11).
But Isaiah also said, “Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them … Then your salvation will come like the dawn … Your godliness will lead your forward, and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind … Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will become as bright as noon” (58:7-10).
That leads us to our passage for today: Isaiah 60. We'll read verses 1-9.
The basic theme of this passage is light. By my count, Isaiah uses light related words twelve times in the first three verses.
“The glory of the LORD” is basically a light image. “Glory” is often described as light or brightness or fire or burning.1 This word “glory” is a pretty cool word. In Hebrew it is kabod, and the root word is “heavy.” It means: “abundance, riches, prestige, honor, or respect.”2 Think of an engagement ring, with all the girls gathered around - “Oh, it's heavy!” Or a powerful person - “He's a real heavyweight!” But glory can also describe amazing, profound beauty. Think of a time when you stood before an amazing work of art or an amazing sunset, and you just couldn't move. You were captivated by the beauty. It was a heavy moment, full of meaning for you.
That is glory. And God's got it – lots of it! It shines. It's beautiful. It's heavy. It reaches out and holds you – Ahh! When you see it, you can't move. You fall silent. You stand amazed at the shining beauty of God. You want more. You've got to have more. It's like getting your first taste of really good ice cream. Can I have another bite, please? It's like water in the dessert. You didn't know what you were missing until the glory hit you, but now that you've tasted glory, now that you've seen the beauty of God, you want more. You want to go deeper. You want in!
The shining glory of God is magnetic. It draws us in. Its power connects to us like an electromagnet. It connects with our deepest insides and transforms us from dull metal into attractive magnets. When we connect with God's glory, when God's glory gets in us, God's glory draws other people in through us.
When the light shines, people from all over the world come to see its light and to feel its warmth. Why do they come? They come to worship the God of glory. They want to participate in the light, to feel the glory, to become people of the God of glory. They come to the beauty. They come because they have seen something so beautiful that they can't stay away.
We need to stop for a minute and ask a question. What is so beautiful? What is so bright and shining? Is Isaiah saying there will be a literal spotlight over Israel that will call people from all over the world – like one of those spotlights that shine in the sky at night inviting people to a nightclub? What is all of this light and glory? What does it look like?
Remember what Isaiah said earlier: “If you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out, your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight” (58:10).
And here's how Peter explains it: “For you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light … Live an exemplary life among [your neighbors] so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they'll be won over to God's side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives” (1 Peter 2:9, 12).
Jesus puts it like this: “You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand – shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.”
What is so beautiful? Goodness, justice, compassion – these are beautiful. These are the glory of God. These are the Light of the world living among us. These are the presence of God shining through us and in us. Beautiful love – it's that Mother Theresa kind of love. It makes us stop and look in awe. We something heavy, beautiful, shining, bright – the glory of God in a human life, the glory of God in a human community.
So how do we get this beauty? How to we experience this glory? How do we live in this light? Today, I want to suggest three things we can all do to live in the radiant beauty of God.
First, soak in the Light. Everybody say: “Soak in the Light.”
This week, I searched the internet for glow-in-the-dark toys. There's all kinds of cool stuff out there: dinosaurs, those little slappy-sticky hands, cups – so you can get that midnight drink of water easily, even glow-in-the-dark boxers! But for all of this stuff to work, it has to soak in the light first. If you just put it in a dark drawer and pull it out in a month, it won't glow. It's got to soak up some light for a long time before it will glow.
We're kind of like that. We don't really have any light of our own. We need to soak in the beautiful light of God before we can glow in the darkness.
It's kind of like sunbathing. Have you ever thought about what happens when you get a sunburn? The heat of the light actually gets into your skin. If you really have a sunburn, you can feel that your skin is hot.
So we come to worship services here, and we read our Bibles, and we pray, and why? So that we can sunbathe in the beautiful glory of God. So that the warmth of God's glory can get into us and change us.
We want these worship services to express the beauty and glory of God. When we come here, we want to get that heavy feeling, like we're standing in front of a sunset on the ocean – “Wow! This is beautiful. Something beautiful and deep is happening here.” If you'd like to help with that, join our Worship Planning Team. Talk with SoYoung and Lindsey. Pretty soon, they'll start planning our worship services for Lent.
What's the first way we can get the shining beauty of God into us? Soak in the light!
Second, share the Light. Everybody say: “Share the Light.” When I was a kid, my Dad sometimes took me camping. Every time we went camping, we would build a campfire, and – it never failed, every time – my Dad would tell me how a church is like a fire.
He would get a stick and start poking around the fire and show me the coals in the fire. Each person is like a coal in the fire. The fire is like God's Holy Spirit burning in us – the glory of God giving out heat and light.
When we're all close together the fire burns bright and strongly, but if you separate the coals, the fire begins to go out. One coal out of the fire will still glow for a while. It still has the heat of the fire in it – for a while. But over time, without the community of the other coals, one coal can't keep the fire. It turns orange, then brown, then gray, then black, and it will be so cold you can pick it up with your hands.
We're like that. We need the community of coals to keep the fire of God burning in us. If you want to experience the fire and beauty of God's glory, then join a small group Bible study. If there's not a group meeting when you want to meet, then start a new one. Check the information card or talk with Elena or Shannon if you are interested in a small group. When we gather together, the Holy Spirit lights us all up!
How can we get God's beautiful light into us? First: Soak in the Light. Second: Share the Light.
Third, be the light. Mother Theresa said, “Love for my neighbor will lead me to true love for God.” Isaiah said, “Share your food … give shelter … give clothes … then your salvation will come like the dawn” (58:7-8). James said, “Pure and genuine religion … means caring for orphans and widows” (James 1:27).
If you aren't experiencing much in your religious practices, if church is boring for you, if you can't feel God in the world, maybe you have never experienced true religion. If your spiritual life has gone dry, maybe you aren't living what God was really talking about with Christianity.
There's a saying in English: “The proof's in the pudding.” In other words, you only know if a pudding (or desert) is good if you eat it. In a lot of ways, you can't know if God is good unless you live life his way. You can't know God unless you allow God's light to shine through you.
Some of the most beautiful experiences I've ever had have been when I was simply serving someone who needed help. Giving out food and toothbrushes in Albania … building a house in Indonesia … babysitting for a single mother in Kansas … holding an orphan in Korea and she doesn't want me to put her down … POW! I was struck by the Holy! The glory of God shone like a beautiful spotlight on those moments. Those experiences of simple service and love were heavy with the presence of God. When the Light becomes part of us, we no longer wonder if it's real! We don't have to ask because we know it in a personal way.
If you want to practice being the light by caring for the helpless, talk with Isabel about how you can help with the single mom's house or the kimbap ministry. Or talk to me about volunteering at the orphanage.
How can God's beautiful life get into us, change us, become part of us?
First: Soak in the Light. Second: Share the Light. Third: Be the Light.
Listen to what Paul says in 2 Corinthians: “And when God is personally present, a living Spirit … [there is] nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him” (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). And then, we will be amazed at how the beauty and glory of God will shine through us and change our world. We will be amazed.
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1Dennis Bratcher, “A New Day Dawns: Verse Commentary on Isaiah 60:1-3, 15-22,” 2006, http://www.crivoice.org/isa60.html. downloaded 12.29.08.
2Dennis Bratcher, “The Turn Toward Hope: Verse Commentary on Isaiah 40,” 2004, http://www.crivoice.org/isa40.html, downloaded 12.31.08.
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