Being Christ's light to everyone
"You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father." (Matthew 5:14-16) In these verses from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus affirms the vocation of His disciples not merely to believe but to illuminate. He does not say, "You may become the light of the world," but "You are"—an identity bestowed, not earned. This declaration links the disciples’ lives to the mission of Christ Himself, who is the Light of the World (John 8:12). Their participation in His light is not passive reflection but active witness. The world, overshadowed by sin, confusion, and despair, needs this light, not as an abstract ideal, but as embodied in lives conformed to the Gospel. The image of a city set on a mountain evo...