Dear Faith Family,
There is an often-quoted appeal that has been bouncing around in my head as it makes its way into my heart and out into my life. I am sure you're familiar with these words of Jesus,
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.
(Matthew 5:16)
These words have been all around me my entire life. They've been plastered on posters in Sunday-school rooms (remember those!), memorized in Bible-Drill, proclaimed from the pulpit, and printed on tee-shirts. From teachers to parents to preachers, Jesus' insistence to be seen living for others, for their good and God's glory, has never been too far from my mind. Yet, there is something fresh about Jesus' charge that the Spirit doesn't want me to miss.
I don't know about you, but sometimes hearing the familiar in an unfamiliar way opens me up to yet-plumbed depth. It's not that I discover something totally novel, a never-before-seen insight, but rather, what's been there all along becomes more vivid and tangible in my daily life.
You've experienced these moments, right? Moments (sometimes draw out over days, weeks, or even a season of life) where what you know--what's latent in your understanding, beliefs, faith--suddenly comes to the forefront and is observable in real life. I think I'm in one of these moments. An epiphany springing forth from Jesus' familiar charge, and I'd like to invite you to share in it with me.
All that's required is an openness to hear what Jesus says freshly and a willingness to ask a few questions. If you are up for that, keep reading. If not, no worries! But, before you stop reading, know I love you, I am grateful to follow Jesus alongside you, and I am praying our Father's blessing over you.
Okay, if you're still with me, here is the unfamiliar wording of our familiar verse. Read it over a couple of times, then take a moment to let it sink in.
Now that I've put you 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.
(Matthew 5:16)
There is a lot that jumps out (at least to me) in this translation. What jumped out to you?
If you're like me, my eyes are drawn to the action, to what action I'm supposed to take, "Keep open house, be generous with your lives." But as the passage has bounced around in my brain, I've been drawn to a more foundational element undergirding all the action. And this is where I want you to focus as well. Listening not to what Jesus is charging us to do, but what Jesus assumes we know and experience regarding "this generous Father in heaven."
Do you think of God as generous? I'm sure you'd say "Yes, of course," just as I would. But, being honest, when describing God our Father, how many words and phrases do you use before you get to "generous"? God's generosity is not always top-of-mind for us. But perhaps Jesus is encouraging us that it should be.
Take a minute and look at the verses preceding our text, those famous "Beatitudes" in 5:2-10. What do you notice about how each verse ends? Don't they all end with our Father giving something? Our Father in heaven giving comfort, the earth (which is flourishing), satisfaction, mercy, clarity, longevity (a future), and inheritance. Nothing less than "the kingdom of heaven," which is to say, everything.
Our Father truly is generous! At least Jesus knew him to be. Now here's where fill the rub. Do people see our Father's generosity in my daily living? Or ask it this way, "Do I live my life off of the generosity of our Father, out the abundance of the everything He gives?"
Let the questions poke around your heart this week. Use them to invite the Holy Spirit to examen your day. Think about how you talk to God and talk about him. Consider your interactions with co-workers, family, roommates, friends, neighbors, and strangers. Note your emotions and reactions to situations, whether positive or difficult, mundane or out-of-the-ordinary. Where do you see a reflection of his generosity, and where is scarcity felt?
There's more to get into in our verse, and we will. But Jesus assumes that more comes because we know and experience "this generous Father in heaven." May it be so for us this week.
Love you, faith family! God bless.