Stars of the cosmos

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER CREATION DAY

15 September 2013

Readings:

Philippians 2:12-18

Matthew 5:13-16

Key Verses (using the World English Bible):

Php. 2:15-16: “[May you become]… children of God without defect in the middle of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you are seen as lights in the world, holding up the word of life.”

Matt. 5:16: “Let your light shine before men [and women]; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Reflection

One of Jesus’ most familiar sayings is: “I am the light of the world.  He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”  (John 8:12)  Less known is Jesus’ teaching to his disciples: “You are the light of the world”, which we see today’s reading from Matthew’s Gospel.  In a religion that has preferred (for better or worse) to emphasize our sinful, imperfect nature, undeserving of God’s grace and love, one can understand why such a teaching would not be brought to the forefront.

However, Jesus was not alone in this teaching.  After citing a fantastic hymn of Christ’s incarnation, crucifixion, and exaltation, Paul writes to the Church of Philippi that they are “seen as lights in the world”.  The phrase may also be translated as “stars of the universe” or even “stars of the cosmos”.  The stars and the cosmos captivated the minds of our ancestors in ways that our modern lives, with round-the-clock, artificial lighting, can’t even begin to let us imagine.  What a beautiful image, what an extraordinary compliment to be compared to phenomena that still inspire us with awe.

We can understand what’s going on here, I think, by going back to that fantastic hymn, which Paul cites.  Jesus finds himself in the image of God, equal with God, but he neither grasps nor depends on either of those in order to force salvation upon humanity.  Christ becomes human, knits himself into humanity for humanity’s sake, not his own.  The lesson is twofold.  First, we must not hold on to our flawed human nature as an excuse to not become better.  The phrase, “I’m only human” doesn’t apply here.  We have to try, to act.

But the second is, as many of the early Church Fathers put it, “[Christ] was made man that we might be made God” (St. Athanasius of Alexandria).  Yes, as creatures made in God’s likeness, we really can be “like God”.  But being “like God” means not being self-centered.  That’s why Adam and Eve stumbled; they forgot they already were “like God” the moment they sought to please themselves.  The Psalmist would remind them that in God’s light, and not their own, do we see light (cf. Ps. 36:9). 

The Gospel puts a spin on that and reminds us that only in Jesus’ light, we *are* light.  When we act, not for ourselves, but for others, that’s when we reflect his light, become his light, that same image of God we were created in, the stars of the cosmos.  And that same cosmos can strengthen our faith in times of doubt or fear, whenever we lose sight of Christ’s light.  As the Full Moon reflects the light of an invisible Sun, so we are to reflect the light of a Messiah now visible only through the eye of faith.  And when, from our perspective, the Moon cannot see the Sun, that’s when her light is the fullest and brightest.

Prayer of the Day

Grant us, Lord,

the lamp of love which never fails,

that it may burn in us,

and shed its light on those around us,

and that, by its brightness,

we may have a vision of that holy City,

where dwells the true and never-failing Light,

Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord,

who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

—From the Book of Common Prayer, “An Order of Worship for the Evening”

Hymn: “God make my life a little light”

(Words: Matilda B.B. Edwards, in Good Words, 1873, p. 393; adapted by Joseph A. Soltero, 2013

Tune: ‘Capel’, traditional English melody)

God make my life a little light

Within the world to glow;

A little flame that, burning bright,

Goes with me where I go.

God make my life a little flower,

Whose bud is joy to all,

Content to bloom in sun or shower,

To blossom fair and tall.

God make my life a little song

That comforts all the sad,

That helps the listener be strong,

And makes the singer glad.

God make my life a little staff

Whereon the weak may rest,

So that what health and strength I have

May serve my neighbors best.

God make my life a little hymn

Of tenderness and praise,

Of faith, that never waxes dim,

In God’s most wondrous ways.

Amen.