Tyler Prothro: For those of you visiting, I am not the normal preacher. In fact, this is a first for me. I can think of much better speakers right here in this room. They can get up and do this, but John said it'd be good for me. So who doesn't listen to the preacher, right?
But if y'all leave confused or just thinking that is not it at all, please come back next week. It'll be somebody else and, we'll go from there. But, they gave me a free range to kinda pick a topic for whatever I wanted to talk about this week, which is kinda scary because it's me. But, you know, I sat down and, I thought about it as much as my little brain could think and I prayed and we talked to Julie about it and we kinda came up with the topic of, just being a light or shining your light. So something we teach our kids to do and we even have a little song about it.
Right? And that's this little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. But let me ask us now as adults, church, as honest as you can answer this and this question is how is your light today inside and outside of the building? Is it bright and shining, dim, or even going out? Well, I've got it.
I've got a verse. We're gonna start with Matthew 5, 14 through 16. And it reads, you are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.
Instead, they put it on its stand and it gives it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven. So this comes from Jesus telling us that we are the light of the world, that because we call ourselves Christians and follow him we are supposed to be different, shining our light so that others may see it and glorifying God for it. Through our actions, we can spread the light of the light of life in the light of Jesus. For those of you who you who don't know Kinsley, that's Julian Mine's oldest daughter, oldest in general, and that girl is 100% a bright light if you know her at all.
Since she was old enough to talk or really even wave her hand around, we have since then never met a stranger. And I'm telling you there isn't anyone that she won't talk to ask how they're doing, spill all the information that goes on at our house or what we talk about. Sorry. She'll encourage you and, I mean, even the dogs at our house get uplifted when she feeds them in the morning. It's it's insane.
It's wild. But, you know, now I said she's never met a stranger. And this little light of hers that she has has her dad cringing half the time because, cringing and very nervous and almost apologizing as we're either walking away or I have to pick her up and carry her away while she's still talking to somebody, whether it be at the grocery store, gas station, corner of the street, parking lot. But it's create like, here's the thing is when I take a step back and watch her, and I think that that little girl has taken the lesson that us as a church and as a family as a whole has taught her and quite simply has just turned around and applied it to her life. It's it's it's pretty interesting to look at and see and, it's just crazy to me and it bothers me to no end.
Not the conversations, not the cringe worthy conversations, not the awkwardness you get at the gas station talking to the person that just walked up that you probably wouldn't talk to. It's it's the fact that my 7 year old, quite frankly outshines me. That it's that simple to do and that my own light still flickers in the wind. Now we have all these sayings or phrases that I've heard that justify our lights dimming or flickering like I just said. And I'm sure you've heard of some of them or even said some of them.
Things things like, well, she just doesn't know the world yet, or she hasn't experienced the real world yet. Well, I agree that the world is dark and it can do a number on you. If you really think about it, all these things are just excuses for us and our lives going down. Our kids and that childlike faith that they have that Francisco touched on during communion, it's they aren't holding any secrets from us. It really is that simple to shine and to glorify God through your actions.
If you feel like you've been beaten down and can't shine because the world is too dark, I have a little sidenote that says go read the book of Job and then come back and let's talk. Ephesians 5:8 through 15. This says, for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the lord. Live as children of light, for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. And find out what pleases the Lord.
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful to even mention what the disobedient do in secret, but everything exposed by the light becomes visible and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it said wake up sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you. And then our next verse will be Philippians 2 14 through 16 Do everything without grumbling or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure. Children of god without fault and a warped and crooked generation, then you then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.
And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. This one this one hit me because I think I do that first part quite a bit. And whether it's my job, anything outside these walls, I will argue and grumble if it's doing something I don't like. But do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Also interesting to me, because everybody says that the world is so bad now, which I agree, but it's nothing new.
Even back then, in a warped and crooked generation, then you will shine among them like stars in the sky, as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. So I listened to a, a podcast called the Dry Creek Wrangler. I know probably not y'all heard of him. He's this old man that sits and just talks.
But, he was going over, I think this topic over this one particular podcast was just being a good man, just a good human being pretty much. And, he, there was a small snippet out of the podcast that stuck with me and this has been about a month or 2 ago. And it fits right in with this topic. And it's the idea of just, you all know the idea of borrowing stuff, you give it back to the person and cleaner or better than when you took it. If you break it, buy a new one.
But, it's that idea but applying it to how you treat people. Right? It's a, it's except so he except he applies it to the mindset on people themselves. So we leave people better off than before we came into contact with them. If you're going through your day and nothing is working out how you thought it was nothing is how you planned it that day, but you came into contact with someone and made their day just a little bit brighter or easier just because they ran across you.
You just had a really, really good day. Nothing but that nothing but that particular situation could happen that day and your day wasn't a waste. We should consider it a successful day. And And let me tell y'all it takes a minimal effort to do this, to be a light in this world, and to leave someone better off than what we found them. It's a simple, it's as simple as a smile, taking the extra time to hold the door, asking a genuine question, or giving a compliment, or how about letting your foot off the pedal and letting that person that's in a bigger rush than you are in in your lane.
People notice even a little light shining and it may spark their curiosity to ask you why you and the group you hang out with are so bright and different. And then that's when you get to show them and answer them where we get the light from. And that's Jesus and following Jesus and the light that He gives us. And that's for or John 8 12. When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life. So, I told y'all it might be quick. As we end our year, our 2024 year and get ready for 2025, let's focus on what we as a church are called to do outside of these walls. If you make a list of goals or New Year's resolutions or whatever kinda list you make this year, let me challenge you to make this at least in your top 3, if not your number one spot, to follow Jesus and to be alike. We even have a couple days left in this year, so you don't have to wait for 2025.
We can start today or tomorrow. Let's finish the year off strong by leading people we come in contact with better than how we found them, and continue that into the new year. If any of you need encouragement or prayers or just a way to do it, we're we're all here. We're all together, and we're all working for that purpose. So please feel free to come forward.