Worthy of My Lampstand

If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to put you under a bucket,
do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that you are set on a hilltop,
on a lamp stand - shine!   Keep open house; be generous with your lives.
By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God.
Matthew 5:15 (The Message)  

The lamp stand waits quietly in the darkness, surrounded by those who yearn for the light. The door squeaks open and a lamp enters, proudly believing he was chosen to shine. He knew his lamp was the latest in pottery -- shaped then glazed with an iridescent glow. But every time he tried to climb onto the stand, his shiny coat slid off. It wasn’t that this lamp was eager to shine God’s light; he merely wanted others to see how he shined. Pride has a slippery exterior, and many people believe they are exempt from service to others. They want others to see them, but have no love of Christ that draws the seeking to the Savior.

The door cracks open again while those surrounding the lamp stand become discouraged. “No one cares,” is whispered as a few sneak out the door. They seek a vice to drown their disappointment -- alcohol, drugs and eating disorders…

Back at the lamp stand the second lamp touches the shoulder of one nearby waiting. “Did you hear? Mr. Jones stole money from the church treasury.” Into the next ear he whispered, “Sally Sue is pregnant and not a husband in sight.” From ear to ear, the lamp whispers gossip that will wound and break hearts. Some true, some not, but each one unnecessary. The lamp decorated with happy hearts and smiling faces isn’t welcomed by the lamp stand.

 There’s still no light and the darkness thickens as the lamp slinks away to gather more juicy news. His lip curls in a sneer as he sees another lamp striding purposefully through the door. This lamp has scratches from those who rejected his light, mars from those who used his light to profit themselves, and cracks from others who told untrue stories about the purpose for which he shone his light.

As soon as this battle scarred lamp entered a room, a glow began weaving its way toward the lamp stand. “How will the lamp hold its oil?” the people asked each other. “The cracks will let the oil leak, and the light will go out.”

But no, he didn’t need oil in his lamp. He had within himself the one thing he needed to shine -- he had the love of Jesus. On the way to the lamp stand, the light spoke encouraging words to the tired, discouraged mother, patted a small, crying boy on the head, and made a rebellious teen laugh. These people lived in his community. Each one was important to the lamp. He climbed onto the lamp stand and began to glow. He had found his place--right where he was needed the most. 

Caffeine Jolt of Sheltering Light

When my husband was principal of a private school, early every morning he made routine rounds to the classrooms, praying for each student and teacher before the first bell sounded.. Awesome principal, right? Dedicated and sincere. But RB also carried the title of "Christian," and along with principal duties came the duty to let his light shine. And shine it did.

Each Friday morning, long before the students began to arrive, the city sanitation employees stopped by to empty the overflowing barrels of pencil stubs, scrap paper and lunch remnants. As the truck rattled onto the school parking lot, RB walked toward the truck with three coffee cups in one hand and a coffee pot in the other. On cool mornings the warm coffee was greeted with joy. On warm mornings the shot of caffeine was eagerly awaited. On frigid mornings, RB often invited the men into the school to warm up, and sometimes even shared a donut to accompany their coffee. Week after week, year after year, he served these men.

I would like to suggest that this act of service was as important to God as RB’s daily prayers for his teachers and students. The offer of coffee was a sacred light, a light worthy of a lamp stand.

Sheltering Light from a Riding Horse

My mother drove the several hundred miles from Pennsylvania to visit with me a few days. Like most mother and daughters, we love to shop together. On one of our treasured ventures, I dropped Mother off at the store’s door to save her a few steps. After parking, I entered the store in time to see my mother put a quarter in the slot of a horse a couple little boys had been trying to giddy up. As the horse began to gallop on its stand, child-like joy shone in the riders’ eyes -- a reflection, I would like to think, from a light worthy of a lamp stand.

Sheltering Light in the Hole of a Doughnut

He was “Grandpa” to many of us. Grandpa Arnold, though not a blood relative, loved people. Chocolate chip/pecan cookies were his specialty. His mantra was, “if one cup of chips or pecans makes them good, then two will make them better.” If he knew someone was going on a trip, he showed up at their door with a box of cookies just before departure time. A youth group meeting? Grandpa’s cookies were there. Many times when the automatic drawer of the bank drive-through extended toward the open car window, it returned with not only Grandpa’s monetary deposits, but also with a bag of yummy Magic Morning doughnuts. Is it any wonder these cashiers shared their prayer requests with him? They saw his light shining through the doughnut holes.

Invisible Lamps with God’s Light

It’s not the big, showy acts of love which have the brightest light. It’s the little everyday actions, performed unselfishly by invisible lamps and given without the need of acknowledgement, that radiate the greatest distance. It’s the illuminated, pure gifts given from a generous heart of gratitude and joy for the Savior who died for us. These sacred gifts can make you worthy of your lamp stand -- opening others to the Savior’s gift of salvation. That's the light that shelters!

Linked to:

Brag on God Friday

Imperfect Prose