Bright Monday
...see to it that the light in you isn’t darkness.
The Monday after Resurrection Sunday was always a bit of a day for me when I was pastoring a local church. For a lot of pastors, me included, there are often feelings of not doing enough. But not on Bright Monday, the day after Easter. I usually felt like I’d put my time in.
How are you feeling today? However you marked or celebrated the resurrection of Jesus yesterday, where does that leave you today?
We’re picking back up in our journey through Luke. We’ll finish Luke by Pentecost. The question for us for a while as we look at these gospel passages will be: Where is there life? Easter is a season of life and light.
So I’m grateful that the passage before us speaks of such things - If your whole body is full of light, then it will be as full of light as when a lamp shines brightly on you.
Jesus’ self comparison to Solomon and Jonah is interesting. He is speaking of peoples outside of Israel - the queen of the South was the Queen of Sheba who visited Solomon to see what was going on. And you likely know well that Jonah went to the foreign people of Ninevah to tell of God’s message of forgiveness.
In that context, he reminds us that what we put into our lives will come out of our lives. Therefore, see to it that the light in you isn’t darkness. It’s not that Jesus is afraid to go to places that are dark or to seek relationship with people who’s lives are in darkness. His example clearly demonstrates the contrary. Rather, he goes to dark situations assured that he is daily filling his life with the light of the Father so that when he goes to the dark places, the light shines.
Like a better Jonah.
May the light we experienced yesterday in sunrise services, the bright fellowship of the Church over cinnamon rolls and ham, and the power of the resurrection story we heard empower us to carry such light today on Bright Monday.
Luke 11:29-36
When the crowds grew, Jesus said, “This generation is an evil generation. It looks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except Jonah’s sign. Just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Human One will be a sign to this generation. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from a distant land to hear Solomon’s wisdom. And look, someone greater than Solomon is here. The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they changed their hearts and lives in response to Jonah’s preaching—and one greater than Jonah is here.
“People don’t light a lamp and then put it in a closet or under a basket. Rather, they place the lamp on a lampstand so that those who enter the house can see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is full of darkness. Therefore, see to it that the light in you isn’t darkness. If your whole body is full of light—with no part darkened—then it will be as full of light as when a lamp shines brightly on you.”
Psalm 16:8-11
I always put the Lord in front of me;
I will not stumble because he is on my right side.
That’s why my heart celebrates and my mood is joyous;
yes, my whole body will rest in safety
because you won’t abandon my life to the grave;
you won’t let your faithful follower see the pit.
You teach me the way of life.
In your presence is total celebration.
Beautiful things are always in your right hand.
Prayer
God,
Thank you for the Easter season. While the world leaves the things of bunnies and eggs behind at this point, press your people, the Church, even further into the things of light, life, and life again.
By your Spirit & in Christ,
Amen.