New Year's Resolutions...

In our culture, we have a tendency to spend the last days of the year looking back in the rear view mirror of the past year to reflect on the events and relationships that shaped our lives. And just like our culture, just like individuals, as a church we tend to look back and reflect on the events and the relationships that shaped us as a community in 2010.

And on New Year’s Eve, as the ball begins to drop in Times Square, as individuals and as a culture, we begin the transition from a time of reflection and evaluation to a time of hope and resolution. We begin the attempt to leave the past behind and begin a new year with a new and fresh slate and with new and fresh hope. And as part of that process, we sit down and make a list of what we are going to do differently in the New Year. We even have a name for that list, don’t we? We call that list our New Year’s Resolutions.

We tend to make New Year’s Resolutions because we view the New Year as an opportunity to make a fresh start, to hit the restart button so to speak. We view the New Year as a time to restart how we are living our lives. Now here is a question for us to wrestle with: As you think of the resolutions that you have made, do you think that those resolutions will lead you to the right goal? Because, the reality is that without having the right goal in mind, we will not be able to restart our lives in a way that enables us to be all that God has created and called us to be. But, this morning what should be on our New Year’s resolution list? What should our focus and our goal be as individuals and as a church as we hit the restart button in 2011?

Fortunately for us, in an account of Jesus life that is recorded for us in the Bible, Jesus provides for us a timeless goal that we should strive towards, both as individuals and as a church. So let’s look at this timeless goal and its implications when it comes to restarting our lives, beginning in Matthew 5:14:

"You are the light of the world."

As part of perhaps the most famous sermon that Jesus ever preached, which we call the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus paints for the crowds listening to Him a word picture to describe what the world should see when they come into contact with His followers. Jesus explains to the crowds listening to Him that those who follow Him are the light of the world. Now light, by its very nature, has incredible impact and influence when it enters into an environment.

For example, just think what happens when you enter into a dark room that you have never been in before and turn on a light. When you enter a dark room that you have never been in before, do you have any idea what is in there? No, you have no idea. And because of that reality, we often find ourselves groping along the wall looking for the light switch, don’t we? But as soon as you turn on that light switch, what happens? As soon as you turn on the light switch, what is in the room is revealed to you isn’t it? As soon as you turn on that light switch, everything in the room is displayed for you to see. The whole point of the light is to reveal and to display what is present, in this case in the room.

But light does more than just reveal and display. Light, like the light that is emitted by a flashlight or the headlights of a car, also provides the guidance and direction that is necessary to navigate life on earth. Jesus point here is that in the same way, as the light of the world, followers of Jesus are to reveal and reflect Jesus and help provide the guidance and direction necessary for people to be able to navigate life here on earth.

After providing this word picture what the world should see when they encounter His followers, Jesus provides two additional images to challenge the crowds who were listening. We will look at those word pictures tomorrow.

So as you think about the concept of light, what other functions and purposes do you think light fulfills?