Matthew 5:14
It has just gotten dark here, and I've come back from a short walk to my mailbox. As I was walking back, I lingered on a curb near a neighbor's home. I pretended to be interested in my mail, but I was really spying. This neighbor has all his/her shades up and the house is full of people.
This is the second Friday night that I've noticed this gathering. There is no music blaring, nor is there any TV on. It looks like people are just sitting, eating, and talking to each other. I highly suspect it's a small group Bible study; I even wonder if they are Seventh-day Adventists. (Maybe I should have snuck a look a little closer to see if they were eating haystacks.)
As I sat across from the house going through my mail--I was struck how utterly inviting the scene looked. With all the windows open, the light spilled out onto the sidewalk and road. The house glowed a la Thomas Kinkade. The light alone is attractive--but the people inside look happy and like they genuinely care for each other.
As I walked away, I thought how beautifully the house illustrated: "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden" (Matthew 5:14). I don't even know those people, and I just wanted to knock on the door and invite myself over.
The church is at its best when we are like this--when our love for each other is evident, when we have created a community that others can find security in, when our light so shines--that our glow can't be hidden.
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