You Are the Light of the World

OT Lesson: Isaiah 60:1-3 (NIV)

Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
and His glory appears over you.
Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

NT Lesson: Matthew 5:14-16 (NRSV)

You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

Sermon

Introduction

Good morning! What a beautiful week we’ve had, with clear blue skies—a real contrast to the previous one. Last Thursday, I had a bit of embarrassing moment. My car’s fog light had gone out, so I took it to Big-O Tire to get it fixed. Rather than waiting there for an hour, I got a ride back to the church. An hour later, they called to let me know the car was ready and offered to pick me up. I then was waiting at the corner of Main and Meridian. About ten minutes in, a nice-looking pickup truck stopped—there is a stop sign—and the driver gestured toward me. Naturally, I assumed he was the one from Big-O Tire, so I walked over and tried to open the door. But then, the driver said, “Hey! Don’t get in my truck!” I quickly realised this was not my ride! I apologised and stepped back, and the guy drove off. I think he must have gestured to signal that I could cross the street. And I guess that my action shocked him because from his perspective, a random stranger tried to hop into his vehicle! He must have thought I was either dangerous or crazy. So, if you hear someone talking about a crazy Asian out on Main Street—well, that might be me!

Salt and Light Together

Now, we’ve spent the last two weeks talking about salt, and today we move on to the next verses—Matthew 5:14-16—where Jesus says that we are the light of the world. Just before this, Jesus called us the salt of the earth. It’s interesting that Jesus links salt and light together. I used to wonder why, because at first glance, they seem completely unrelated. But now we know why. To recap, in ancient Jewish culture, salt wasn’t just for seasoning—it had another important function. It was used to ignite the earthen ovens, starting the fire. Once the fire was lit, it provided both heat and light. So, salt and light actually follow a natural order: salt ignites the fire, and fire produces light. For the people of Jesus’ time, this didn’t need much explanation—they all understood it.

To emphasise this connection, Jesus uses the Greek word κόσμος (kosmos) for “world” in today’s passage. Cosmos in English now means the universe, and it is the title of one of my favourite books when I was little, written by famous Carl Sagan. It was a very thick book but half of it was filled with colourful pictures of the galaxies in the universe. Speaking of galaxy, using the James Webb Telescope recently NASA found an interesting one—in the shape of the question mark. Was there something even God didn’t know, and that is why God put the question mark on the corner of the universe? Anyway, the word γῆ (gē) is often used to mean “earth” or “world” as well, but here Jesus is making a clear distinction by using two different Greek words, that the earth is not the world but the earthen oven. He wants us to understand that just as salt starts the fire, we are the ones who ignite the light of the world. We are the catalysts for the fire that brings light.

Light in Creation

Last Sunday’s sermon was a bit heavy, so today, let me lighten things up—literally! I’m going to talk about light. Not the kind you find in Coke Light or Bud Light, of course. I’m talking about a different kind of light, the one first mentioned in Genesis 1:3, where God says, “וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֖ים יְהִ֣י א֑וֹר וַֽיְהִי־אֽוֹר  (And God said let there be light and there was light).” The very first thing God created within the universe was light.

In Genesis 1:1, the Bible describes the creation of the universe itself—space and time. Then, in verse 2, we’re told that this new creation was still formless and empty. It’s in verse 3 that light appears, and light itself is a mystery. I don’t think the light in Genesis 1:3 refers to the kind of physical light we know through science. Although even physical light is full of mystery. In the universe, light is the standard. Nothing moves faster than the speed of light. When matter disappears, the amount of energy produced is determined by Einstein’s famous equation, E = mc², where energy equals mass times the speed of light squared. Speaking of square, if you put a root beer in a square box, that is just a beer.

Everything in the universe is either a particle or a wave, except light, which is both. For example, sound is a wave. When we speak, our vocal cords vibrate, creating sound waves that travel through the air to someone else’s ears. Microwaves, as the name suggests, are also waves that heat our food. On the other hand, matter is made up of particles. Everything we see is composed of atoms—once thought to be the smallest, unbreakable building blocks of the universe. Now we know atoms consist of electrons, protons, and neutrons. And even protons and neutrons are made up of smaller particles.

But light is different. It exists both as a wave and as a particle, which makes it unique. And interestingly, elementary particles like electrons behave similarly, showing both wave-like and particle-like properties. Light, fully wave and fully particle at the same time, holds a deep mystery. Perhaps this dual nature reflects what Jesus means when He says, “I am the light of the world.” Just as light is fully wave and fully particle at the same time, Jesus is fully human and fully divine at the same time.

But the light mentioned in Genesis 1:3 is not the light we know from physics. After all, God doesn’t create the sun, moon, and stars until day four. This light, appearing on the very first day, can’t come from the sun or the stars. And we know the moon doesn’t produce light; it simply reflects the light of the sun. The light in Genesis 1:3 is something else. I believe it represents spiritual illumination—the true light, the glory of God. It is the light that shines in our hearts, minds, and souls. This is the eternal and divine light, the light that reveals God’s truth and character to the world. It is the light that illuminates everything, allowing us to see and understand God’s glory.

Light Is the Word of God

Let me read two Scriptures for us. The first comes from Genesis 1:1-3 (NRSV):

“In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.”

The second passage is from John 1:1-5 (NRSV):

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and without Him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in Him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”

Both of these passages speak of light at the beginning of creation. Genesis tells us that God created light on the very first day. John reveals that the Word—who we know is Jesus—was with God from the beginning, and that all things were created through Him. John also tells us that the life given through the Word is the light of all people.

We know that Jesus is the Word made flesh, God incarnate. And we also know, as 1 John 1:5 says, “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” The following verse adds that God Himself dwells in this light. So, not only is God the source of light, but God Himself is light. This divine light reveals God’s presence and glory and shines in the darkness, which cannot overcome it.

Jesus and We Are the light

In John 14, Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” And in John 1, we hear that “the life was the light of all people.” So, Jesus is the light. But we don’t even have to guess, because Jesus tells us directly in John 8: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Jesus Himself is the light of the world, and today, He tells us that we are also the light of the world. So, why does Jesus call us to be the light of the world? In Leviticus, God commands, “You must be holy because I am holy.” Not only are we made in God’s image and His likeness, but as faithful followers of Christ, we are called to be like Him. The Bible constantly reminds us that we are children of God. There’s a saying in English, “Like father, like son.” If my son didn’t resemble me but looked more like the neighbour, I might start to question! Thankfully, my son Samuel looks and acts like me.

In the same way, if we are truly God’s children, we must resemble Him—both in who we are and how we live. If we don’t resemble God our Father, God may begin to question if we are His true children or not. We must strive to be holy because God is holy. And we must be the light of the world because Jesus is the light of the world.

Now, of course, we can’t be exactly like Jesus. He is God, and we are only human. But in the creation story, on day four, God made two great lights: the greater light, the sun, to rule the day, and the lesser light, the moon, to shine in the night. The moon doesn’t produce its own light—it reflects the light of the sun. In the same way, if Jesus is the greater light who rules the day, perhaps we are like the moon, reflecting the light of Christ into the darkness of the world. By reflecting His light, we help to brighten the night. Young children who grew up in big cities may not realise how bright the moon is at night, especially full moon. Under the full moon, you can read books because it is so bright.

Light Reveals

So, how can we be the light? What does light actually do? Light reveals everything. When I deep clean the house, I turn on all the lights—even during sunny daylight—because the more light I have, the more dust and hidden stains I can see. Without that extra light, I may miss things that are otherwise invisible on normal days. In the same way, the true light reveals the uncomfortable truths that people may want to keep hidden. We are called to be like that—revealing truth and exposing what is hidden, even when it’s painful or shameful.

The Gospels tell us that people hated Jesus because He was the revealing light. He exposed sin and hypocrisy, and that made people uncomfortable. If we truly become the light of the world, revealing truth, people may not like us either. But even so, we are called to shine. We are called to be the light that illuminates the world around us, no matter the cost.

This reminds me of the English poet William Blake, who wrote many famous poems like The Tyger or The Lamb, with its well-known lines: “Little Lamb, who made thee? Dost thou know who made thee?” But he also wrote another poem that broke my heart when I first read it: The Chimney Sweeper. The first stanza goes like this:

When my mother died I was very young,

And my father sold me while yet my tongue

Could scarcely cry ‘Weep! Weep! Weep! Weep!’

So your chimneys I sweep, and in soot I sleep.

I still remember reading this poem in college. It was so painful that I couldn’t finish it in one sitting. The Chimney Sweeper exposes the harsh reality of child labour in England during Blake’s time. But child labour wasn’t just a problem in England—it was common all over the world, especially in industrialised Europe. Sadly, the United States was no exception. It wasn’t until 1938, with the passing of the Fair Labour Standards Act, that child labour was finally regulated in this country.

Lewis Hine

But this important law, the Fair Labour Standards Act, didn’t just appear out of nowhere. It came about because of the tireless efforts of people like Lewis Hine. Hine was a sociologist and photographer from Wisconsin who, in 1907, was hired by the National Child Labour Committee to document child labour conditions across the United States. For about fifteen years, he travelled to states like Indiana, Alabama, California, and many others, capturing powerful images of children working in harsh, dangerous conditions.

His work was not without risk. Hine was often threatened with violence, and he received numerous death threats. Even though many people knew child labour was wrong, they still wanted to keep it hidden from public view. They felt that Hine’s work was a shameful exposure for their beloved country of something they didn’t want to acknowledge. Photography was prohibited in many of these workplaces, and cameras at that time were large and difficult to conceal—nothing like the small devices we have today in our smartphones. To gain access and continue his work, Hine would disguise himself, posing as a fire inspector, postcard vendor, Bible salesman, or even an industrial photographer documenting factory machinery. When his photos were published in newspapers and magazines, they made people uncomfortable. There was outrage, denial, and resistance. But these images sparked a national debate, and after years of struggle, child labour was finally banned in the United States, with the exception of the farming industry.

Here’s an interesting fact: the word photo comes from the Greek word meaning “light.” Lewis Hine and his photographs were, in a very real sense, the light that illuminated the dark reality of child labour in this country. His photos—his light—shone brightly, revealing painful truths that many wanted to ignore and hide.

Sadly, child labour hasn’t ended worldwide. Many children in developing or underdeveloped countries still face these harsh conditions. But Hine’s work reminds us of our calling to be the light, to reveal truth even when it’s uncomfortable, and to stand up for justice wherever it’s needed.

Conclusion

In today’s Old Testament reading, Isaiah urges us to “arise and shine.” Lewis Hine did exactly that. By courageously using his light—his photographs—to expose the painful and shameful truth of child labour in this country, we were able to confront and fix it. And because of that, our nation improved. Even here in our own town, children in three different elementary schools can enjoy their days, learning and playing with their friends. Without the light that was shone, some or many of those children might have been forced to work in factories instead.

Friends, let us be brave in following Jesus Christ, our Lord, who is the light of the world and who reveals what is hidden. When we shine the light of truth, people may not always like it. They may even get upset. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t shine. It means we must do so wisely and with grace. By doing this, we can peacefully improve our neighbourhoods and lead others to the righteousness of our Lord.

Jesus is the light of the world, and He promises that whoever follows Him will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life. Likewise, those around us should not have to walk in darkness either, but instead must have the light of God shining within them, because we are called to be the light of the world, as the children of God, who is Himself the light.

Today, I leave you with a bit of homework: take some time to ponder how you can be a light in your home and among your friends. And as usual, you don’t need to bring back your homework. Let me close with this beautiful verse from Daniel 12:3 (NIV): “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.” Amen.