[Author’s note: This year, I am making a conscious effort not to do anything on Sundays except for church and spending time with my family. As a Christian, I feel that it is important to make the day that Christians choose to worship – Sunday – different than the rest of the week. With this in mind, although this entry is posted on a Sunday, it was actually written beforehand.]
This picture was taken back in late November as the mornings began to grow colder with the approach of winter. As the moon was setting early in that cool and crisp morning I was captivated by the dark blues, purples, and hints of various shades of pink that accompanied the moon as it passed below the horizon. I took this picture not knowing if it would even capture the slightest beauty of the moment. A few days later, when I was uploading the pictures to my computer, I noticed that not only was the moment captured, but it turned out remarkably well – including the reflection of the moon on the Ohio River. As I look at that picture, I think of how we are called to reflect the love of Christ in our daily lives – not just to fellow believers but to all that we come into contact with during the day.
I know that in my own life I have struggled with this continually. How can one reflect the love of Christ to those who have hurt us in the past? How do we reflect that love to those who do not understand our dedication to Christ and openly ridicule our commitment to attend church and actively participate in its programs? How can we reflect the love of Christ to those who have not accepted what Jesus has done for them? This is where I have learned that true Christianity is not just a religion but is also a life philosophy. True Christianity should shape how we understand and relate not only to God, but to ourselves, to others, and to the world around us. It is a real struggle for many, including myself, to willingly reflect the selfless love that Christ has shown to those that we have deemed unworthy to accept such unmerited grace. However, just as the Ohio River didn’t have to think about reflecting the moon’s light on that cold November morning, we should not have to think about reflecting the love of Christ; it should come naturally and with very little effort.
I am reminded of the story of Moses and how during the exodus out of Egypt he went to the top of Mount Sinai and stayed for forty days and nights in the presence of the Lord. As recorded in the book of Exodus: And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him (Exodus 34:29-30). Moses’ shining was the direct result of him being in the presence of the Almighty God; as he communed with God he began to take on the characteristics of God – the same light we read about Moses radiating was nothing more than a reflection of the holiness of God. In the New Testament we also see Jesus radiating light in Mark 9:3 as he communed with Moses, Elijah, and his three disciples. The only difference is that while Moses was simply reflecting the light, Jesus IS the light: Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12). When we have the light of life that Christ gives, we too, should be able to reflect that great selfless love that he willingly gives us.
As we go about our daily routines, there are two basic types of people we come into contact with – those who have been saved by accepting the free gift of salvation as offered by God, and the others are lost. The apostle Paul wrote to the church at Thessaloniki: And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints (I Thessalonians 3:12-13). Not only are we to reflect the love of the Lord Jesus Christ to fellow believers but also to those who are lost. For those who are lost, the love of Christ we have within us should be drawing us to bear witness of that love: And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh (Jude 22-23). Our heartfelt desire should be to see others accept the same salvation that was freely offered to us. We should desire that others come to know and enjoy the unmerited grace and mercies of God through the completed work of Christ Jesus.
