Glowing in the dark

"... let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5. 16

Out early this morning without the dog (she had more sense), I was asked by a neighbour whether I had any reflective clothing? This despite my best effort at removing myself from the path of traffic, by leaping onto the verge every time a vehicle approached. I suppose it is still disconcerting for motorists, when pedestrians do not make themselves clearly visible.

The fact is that we do not automatically glow in the dark! This is true metaphorically as well as literally. Just about every source confirms the moral darkness which engulfs us. Only yesterday I received the latest mail shot from the International Justice Mission (IJM), with another horrifying story about sex slaves in India. And this is just one example: prejudice, injustice, oppression are rife everywhere and at all levels of society. If I'm honest they are alive and well in my own heart too.

Yet the Bible insists that followers of Jesus belong to the light and that our light should illuminate the surrounding darkness. But only in so far as we are reflecting Jesus. Because we ourselves are not the source of light. We are reflectors - of the one true light. In his letter to the Galatians, the apostle Paul insists that, in our baptism, we were "clothed with Christ". So as we dress for a new day, let us remember that most essential item of all, which is to reflect the light of Christ.