SHOW: THE CITY

THE PRAYER       

• Find a quiet space.       


• Breathe deeply and recognise God with you in this moment.       


• When you are ready, speak to God about this time together.       


• After you've finished praying, go through the following passage a few times slowly and thoughtfully (preferably out loud).    


• Allow God to meet you in these words.

God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course. Give me insight so I can do what you tell me- my whole life one long, obedient response. Guide me down the road of your commandments; I love traveling this freeway! Give me a bent for your words of wisdom, and not for piling up loot. Psalm 119: 33-36 (MSG)

THE FIRST READING

Read this passage slowly (preferably out loud) as you allow God to meet you in these words. Pay attention to anything God might be saying as you do.

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, 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 who is in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16 (ESV)

RESPONSE

Take some time to respond (write down, draw, pray, etc.) to God’s prompting in the first reading of the passage. What is he highlighting and saying to you through this?

THE SECOND READING

Read the passage again (slowly and preferably out loud) through the “lens” of what The Spirit highlighted in the first reading. Listen for anything else the Spirit might be saying.

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, 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 who is in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16 (ESV)

THE REFLECTION

A collective noun.

That’s what they call a word that describes a group of things. A herd of sheep, a pride of lions, a gaggle of geese, a shiver of sharks (It’s a real thing- look it up.). I was thinking about collective nouns one day (as you do) and it dawned on me that the word Human should probably be reclassified. A human of people (or something like that).

I had this thought, in part, because of people like Desmond Tutu who reminds us that “my humanity is bound up in yours for we can only be human together," and like Jesus who prayed that we would all be one, just as he and The Father are one, so that the world would see us and believe in him. Our togetherness is part of how Jesus re-humans the world.

In truth, this idea shouldn’t surprise us. The New Testament constantly describes us in collective terms. A nation. An army. A body. A building. Unfortunately our “me” saturated culture understands very little about the power and importance of “we." The idol of “I” leaves little room for the beauty of “us."

If we hope to live the story of Jesus this is something that has to change. One light, your light, will simply not be enough to light up the darkness of our world. We’ll need a whole city for that. Just as one grain of salt will not be enough to flavour the whole earth. We need a whole Church to do that.

As you set out to show people the love of God today, remember that you are not alone. There’s more salt in the shaker than just you. Perhaps you could ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the others who share your world with whom you can partner in this work. Ask for wisdom and courage as to how you can invite them into the story with you.