In our current preaching series we’re digging into the question: “What is church?” Over four weeks we’re looking at four pictures of church. Last week we heard that church is a ship tossed on the waves in the midst of a storm. We are together with each other in the boat, but God himself — in the person of Jesus — is also with us.
Today our picture of church is a city on a hill, shining its light for all to see. Jesus says, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill can’t be hidden. … Let your light shine in front of others. Then they will see the good things you do. And they will praise your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 4:14,16). Before we unpack this picture, let us pray.
Heavenly Father, by the power of your Holy Spirit, open our ears and take the scales from our eyes. Through your Word and Spirit, let us bask in your light. Reflect your light into our family, neighbours, and community. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
The world is in desperate need of light. The prophet Isaiah writes, “Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth.” (Isaiah 60:2). A theologian once said that preachers should preach with a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other. Well, at the moment, the newspaper confirms that darkness as black as night covers the earth. If we do manage to get news other than grim COVID statistics, the world seems dark: high unemployment, the biggest budget deficit since WWII, conflict with China, Russia meddling in elections, the strange and tragic lives of the rich and famous (like Kayne West or Johnny Depp). The world is in desperate need of light.
But we don’t need the newspaper to show us that even our own heart is dark at times. We have secret thoughts and desires buried in the dark recesses of our soul. At times we try to conceal our actions in the black night. St Paul says it’s shameful even to talk about such acts of darkness. We might like to think that we’re more civilized than the ancient world in Jesus’ time, but the truth is the world was in desperate need of light then, and the world is still in desperate need of light today.
It’s against this backdrop that Jesus tells his disciples, you and me, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill can’t be hidden.” (Matthew 4:14). You might remember that in the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12). But here, addressing his disciples, God’s people, the church, Jesus says, “You are the light of the world. You are a city on a hill.” There are (at least) three things that Jesus says to the church in this short statement: (1) The church is a city. (2) The church is a city on a hill. (3) The church is a city on a hill, shining light for others.
(1) The church is a city. Living out here in the country, we don’t often have a great love of cities. They’re full of concrete, traffic, and smog. But a city, by definition, is simply a settlement of people. A place where people belong and live. Likewise, the church is an assembly of people. It’s not a building. It’s not an organization of like-minded people. It’s a city of people. Our Lutheran confessions in the Book of Concord say the church is ‘the assembly of all believers among whom the gospel is purely preached and the holy sacraments are administered according to the gospel.’ (Augsburg Confession, article VII). So, like a city, the church is the people.
A city is comprised of “citi-zens.” A citizen is a person who belongs to and lives in that city. We often have papers to show that we are a citizen e.g. a birth certificate or residency document. Right now for people in communities along the NSW and Victorian border, where you live — your city — is very important for getting travel documents. The most common way to become a citizen, to belong to a particular place, is to be born there. Many of you were born as citizens of Walla or Alma Park. When I was born in Rockhampton, I become an Australian citizen and received a birth certificate. Likewise, you are born into the city of God, the church. This was not a physical birth, but spiritual birth. Jesus says that those who enter the kingdom of God are ‘born again,’ ‘born of water and Spirit’ (John 3:3–5). In your baptism you are born into the church, you become a citizen of the city of God. When I was baptized, I received a certificate of baptism to mark my new citizenship. Like a birth certificate which has a seal on it, a baptism certificate also has a seal: the Holy Spirit is the seal of our citizenship. St Paul writes in Ephesians chapter 1, ‘When you believed, you were marked with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.’ (Ephesians 1:13). It was only after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension that the Holy Spirit came to rest of Jesus’ followers on that day of Pentecost. This means you receive the seal of citizenship through the death and resurrection of Jesus. So the church is a city full of citizens who live and belong. You are born into God’s city. You don’t become a member of the church by anything you do, but by what Jesus has done, by His death and resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit which marks you with a seal.
(2) The church is a city on a hill. Hills are high places, elevated above the landscape. Their height means they are places of safety and protection. Particularly in ancient times, when you ventured outside the protective walls of the city, you had to be on your guard, with a hand ready to grab your dagger in times of danger. But once you returned to the security of the city, you could relax, let your guard down among your fellow citizens. Likewise the church as a city on a hill is a high place, a safe haven offering protection. Just as a boat or ark offers protection from the stormy seas, the church as a city on a hill offers protection from the surrounding dark chaos. As church you are invited to be yourself, to relax among fellow believers, to be real with God and with each other. This is why we have corporate confession of sins. We say together, “Merciful Father, we have sinned against you in our outward actions, and also in our secret thoughts and desires.” We let our guard down, we get real with God in front of each other. But then we hear those beautiful words, “Your sins are forgiven.” The dangers of sin, death, and the power of the devil are dismantled and they thud harmlessly against the impenetrable wall of the secure city on a hill.
A city on a hill also offers a good vantage point. Armies always seek the high ground so that they can see their enemies coming and defend themselves more easily from attack. Over the years, the rock on top of the hill at Morgan’s Lookout in Walla has been used as high ground to survey the landscape and look out for approaching forces (e.g. the bushranger Dan Morgan). Likewise the church offers a vantage point to survey the landscape. As church we can see and understand the world around us. We have a better vantage point than those walking in the darkness. We can see the dead ends of greed, the swamp of envy, the safe highways leading to places of goodness and truth. I am convinced that the Christian worldview offers the most comprehensive understanding of the world. It answers the big questions: (a) The origin question: where do we come from? (b) The identity question: who am I? (c) The meaning question: Why am I here? (d) The moral question: how should we live? (e) The destiny question: where am I going?
(3) The church is a city on a hill, shining light for others. Being on a hill doesn’t just offer a good vantage point for those in the city, but others down in the darkness can see the light from the city. The city on a hill shines its light for others to see. It is a beacon of hope for those in the darkness. Likewise, you the church exist to shine light for others. The city is not just for those inside the protection of the walls, but for those outside in the danger and chaos. Jesus says, “Let your light shine in front of others.” (Matthew 5:16). What an amazing challenge Jesus places before us! Jesus gives you his light, and calls you to hold it up high so that others are drawn in. Jesus loves you, so that you can love others. Who will you love to this week, shining light in their life? Jesus forgives you, so that you can forgive others. Who will you forgive this week, shining light into their life? Jesus lifts you up and tells you are worthy because God created you. Who will you lift up and declare worthy, shining light into their life?
In order for the light to be seen, it needs to be different than the darkness that surrounds it. This is what the word “holy” means — “holy” means to be set apart, different, light compared to darkness. We confess that the church is “holy.” “The holy Christian church.” You are holy. You are set apart. You are different from the darkness of the world around you. Cultures change and grow over time, so the culture of our day is different from say ancient Biblical culture. What are some of the aspects of the culture around us that we — as church — stand in stark contrast against? Here’s three:
(a) Consumerism. The religion of the day is consumerism. The culture around us demands consumption. People are turned into consumers. Numbers that drive supply and demand. A wheel in the cog of the machine. The focus is on more, more, more. Bigger and better; faster and more efficient. In contrast to this darkness, the church as the light of the world offers a life of contentment, of having enough. The church is content that God’s grace is sufficient, Christ’s power is enough (2 Corinthians 12:9). Nothing more is required. Do you live a life of contentment, of having enough? Are you generous and hospitable, sharing what you have?
(b) Selfish. Those trapped in the darkness are selfish and entitled. Our Western culture revolves around one thing: me. My rights. My happiness. My interests. Me, me, me. As author Michael Goheen writes: ‘Today we are witnessing the rotten fruit of this cultural center: selfishness that is apathetic to human need, … victimization that refuses to accept personal responsibility, and an obsession with rights, self-esteem, and self-fulfillment. [Our] society tutors us to think first and foremost about our own needs.’ (Michael Goheen, 2011, ‘A Light to the Nations,’ pg 209). In contrast to the darkness, the church as the light of the world is self-less. Just as Jesus embodied selflessness by giving himself on the cross, the church is called to follow the self-sacrifice of Jesus. We sacrificially serve the needs of others, putting others needs before our own. Who will you serve this coming week?
(c) Confusion. The darkness is confusing. Have you ever walked around in the dark of the night and bumped into something? Just last night, as I was walking into my bedroom in the dark, I tripped over a basket of clothes that I left on the floor. The world fumbles around in the dark, tripping and falling, full of uncertainty, relativism (where anything goes), and pluralism (where everyone is free to believe whatever they want). In contrast to this confusion, the church shines the light of clear confession. We know and clearly confess what we believe. We believe in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that God the Father has created us and everything that exists. We believe that Jesus the Son is true God and true man; he was crucified, dead, and buried; but was raised to life to free us from sin, death, and the power of the devil. We believe in the holy Christian church, that the Holy Spirit abundantly forgives our sins, and will raise up our bodies to eternal life. What do you confess in this dark world of confusion?
You are a city on a hill, a light shining in the darkness for others. Nothing you have done granted you entry into this city, but through your baptism into the death and resurrection of Jesus you were born into this city. May its walls protect you from sin and death. May it offer a vantage point to understand the world. And most importantly, may you live in the light. May your life shine in stark contrast to the darkness around you: content in the world of consumerism; selfless in the face of selfishness; clearly confessing truth in the dark confusion. May those in the darkness see the good things you do, be drawn to the light, and praise your Father in heaven. Amen.
