Light For Our Eyes
October 12, 2014
Stetson Memorial United
Methodist Church
Sermon Series: The I Am
Statements of Jesus
Sermon 3 of Series:
“I Am the Light of the
World”
John 8:12 CEB
John 12:35-36 CEB
Matthew 5:14-16 CEB
“Here I Am To Worship” by
Chris Tomlin
“Light For Our Eyes”
Let us pray…Pray for the
Spirit’s leading and that God’s word would be heard…
Light of the world
You stepped down into
darkness
Open my eyes, let me see
Beauty that made this heart
adore You
Hope of a life spent with
You
Have you ever been in a Fun
House? Man they are creepy! You are walking in this dark place and then all of
the sudden something jumps out at you. It is so dark in there. You can hardly
see where you are going. Growing up all my friends wanted to go into the Fun
House at carnivals. I would go just
because my friends wanted to go but boy was I scared. The dark can seem very
scary at times. Not knowing if something is going to come out and grab you or
something. I hate it when I am in a dark place. I always bump into something
every time.
How about when you may be in
a dark place on your faith walk? You don’t know what is around the corner and
you feel pretty small in this “valley of the shadow of death.” When you are in
this dark place it may feel as if the sun will never shine again giving you
light for your path. Where can we find that light so that we won’t bump into
things in the dark of the night?
We have entered into the
Season that we begin to look forward to the manger…the Season that we prepare
to celebrate the birth of our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. We know that Jesus is
the Savior of the world but He is so much more than that. As we have been
preparing to welcome in the babe in the manger, we have been looking at the
seven “I Am” statements that Jesus made while He walked among us. My prayer is
that as we do, we will realize what really happened that day, how that one day
changed the tide of sin and death. It’s all about the name and what goes along
with that very same name…not just who but what that name implies.
Last week we talked about
how Jesus is The Bread of Life and about how Jesus fills us spiritually and
that we never will hunger again for those Spiritual things that we need for our
faith walk. We have talked about the name I Amand that Jesus, the Great I Am,
is always with us even when we don’t feel His presence with us in those times
when we feel we are walking in a dark tunnel and not seeing the light at the
end. But we do have that light that shines on our walk…Jesus is The Light of
the World…
Now I don’t know about you
but I hate those dark times. They seem to go on forever. When I think of
darkness I think of something that is scary and I feel lost and alone. When I
think of darkness I am reminded of those times when I have walked through that
valley looking for that light at the end of the tunnel and hoping it is not a
freight train heading my way. But even in those times, we can have hope…we can
have faith that we really don’t walk alone and that dawn will break forth again
in our lives…by faith we can walk with faith, not by sight.
So why do we have this faith
in those dark, dreary times? Well, from the John 8 and 12 scriptures that I
read this morning we can walk with assurance of hope for the future. Jesus
said…and still says today...I am the light of the world. When we follow Him we
will not walk in darkness but will have light…His light…to pave the way for us.
Jesus says that when we walk in the dark we do not know where we are going
but…but…when we believe in the light we become people whose path is determined
by that very same light.
When we walk in darkness it
is pretty scary. We feel lost and alone. We feel as if the night will never
end. We can feel that there is no hope. But even then we can have faith that
Jesus is with us. Are you walking through a dark desert place right now?
Well…the light of Jesus is there…just waiting for you to take hold of it and
let it light your way…just believe…
King of all days, oh, so
highly exalted
Glorious in heaven above
Humbly You came to the earth
You created
All for love's sake became
poor
So…if we believe in the
light…we believe that Jesus is that light…we believe in the Light that came
from Heaven…God’s Light…the Light that illuminates our walk…our journey on this
celestial ball…if we believe that we never walk alone…what are we to do with
that belief? What is our commission…our calling regarding this wonderful
Light…what are we to do with this wondrous Light of Life? There is a scripture
that tells us what happens and what we are to do with this light that we
profess. It is found in Matthew 5 verses 14-16…listen to what the Word of God
tells us about this heavenly light…
Matthew 5:14-16 Common
English Bible (CEB)
14 You are the light of the
world. A city on top of a hill can’t be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a
lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they put it on top of a lampstand, and
it shines on all who are in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine
before people, so they can see the good things you do and praise your Father
who is in heaven.
We are to let our light
shine for all to see. There are people
around us that are walking in darkness and they need this life giving Light to
shine on their lives so that their paths can be lit with the Light above all
lights… is their someone that you know…someone in your life…that needs this
Light that dispels all darkness? Then let your light shine for them so they too
can find light in the dark recesses of their lives… We are to let the Light of
Jesus shine in and through us…sort of like how a Light House shines the light
for sailors to find the safe way into the harbor we too can shine so that
others can find a place to let down their anchor and be safe.
Beloved children of the Most
High God…we have a mission…we have been given a charge…we have been
commissioned to show our light. God is at work today as he has always been. God
wants to bring those who walk in darkness to His glorious light. But how can
those who are blind see if they are walking in the Fun House of the world?
And here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that You're
my God
You're altogether lovely,
altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me
This is part of our Worship
of God…to believe and to share that light of Lights…To testify about the
goodness of the Light…
I'll never know how much it
cost
To see my sin upon that
cross
I'll never know how much it
cost
To see my sin upon that
cross
But…but…this Light came at a
great Cost to the world. It cost God the life of His Son…our Risen Lord Jesus
Christ…How awesome is that love for you and me…for all of humanity… There is
world out there that still walks in darkness. What will you and I do to bring
light to an other wise dark hopeless existence?
Maybe…just maybe we can make
that change from dark to light in someone else’s life. Perhaps when we begin to
realize the depth…the height…the expanse of God’s love for us we will shine
even brighter. Let us go forth in the Light of Christ and light our world.
(“Go Light Your Candle”
Video by Kathy Troccoli
Let us pray…pray for
Christ’s followers to be the Light for the World
====
Fall Sermon
Series: The I Am Statements of Jesus
Sermon 4 of
Series: “I Am the Gate”
John 10:1-9
CEB
Matthew
7:13-14 CEB
children’s
message
– mystery box
– soccer shin guards, soccer cleats, water shoes, and a basketball
-
Pastor
Ruth talked about the protective gear God provides,
-
the
armor of God –
-
Ephesians
6:10-17
sermon –“The
Straight and Narrow”
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
sermon blog
meditation
blog
“God’s
Whisper” blog
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
October 19,
2014
&
Fall Sermon
Series: The I Am Statements of Jesus
Sermon 3 of Series: “I Am the Light of the
World”
John 8:22
(CEB)
John 12:35-36
(CEB)
Matthew
5:14-16 (CEB)
The Name Game
by Shirley Ellis
song, “Here I
Am To Worship”, by Chris Tomlin
children’s
time – mystery box – mirror
sermon, “Light
For Our Eyes”
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
October 12,
2014
&
Fall Sermon
Series: The I Am Statements of Jesus
Sermon 2 of
Series: “I Am the Bread of Life”
John 6:35
John 6:26-51
The Name Game
by Shirley Ellis
Exodus 16:15
children’s
time – mystery box – a throat drop and a candy mint
sermon, “Bread
of Heaven”
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
World
Communion Sunday
October 5,
2014
&
Fall Sermon
Series: The I Am Statements of Jesus
Sermon 1 of
Series: “I Am”
Revelation
22:13 CEB
Matthew
16:13-16 CEB
Exodus 3:12-15
CEB
The Name Game
by Shirley Ellis
Children’s
message – mystery box
-
green
maple leaf and a colored maple leaf
-
the
green color is not the true color
-
we
are fed and nurtured in the spring and summer with the word;
-
we
shine our true colors in autumn
sermon, “The
Name Game”
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson Memorial
United Methodist Church
September 28,
2014
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