Witnessing to the Light

On the 1st Sunday of Advent, I filled the pulpit of the vacationing Rev. Steve Nance, pastor of the Thornton/Groesbeck, TX United Methodist churches.

It was a bright, blustery day when I drove up to the little Methodist church house in Thornton. About a dozen folks gathered for worship. We sang some old favorites to the accompaniment of organ & piano, followed by prayer joys and concerns. I preached a message simply entitled "Witness," based on the prologue of the Gospel of John. I reminded the congregation that we have been charged to witness to the Light of the World, Jesus Christ. As witnesses, we have seen something, we have something to say and, sometimes, our job is risky. But it is worth the endeavor as we share our testimony of how the Light has come into our own lives.

After the service, we gathered in fellowship hall for some coffee, cake and good conversation. Then it was off to Groesbeck UMC, where I have been several times before in the course of my 12-year ministry. I got reacquainted with folks who are like family to me. Early in the service, a number of kids came down for the children's message. A teen girl informed the congregation that the children's offering would be designated for the volunteer fire department of Groesbeck. After she sat down, I gave a magical message involving a color-changing bag that told the story of the real meaning of Christmas. Brown stood for the manger, green stood for Jesus growing in wisdom and stature, red stood for His blood shed at the Cross and gold stood for heaven, where there is no light of the sun or moon, because Jesus Himself is the Light! Before the kids returned to their pews, I gave them a colorful JESUS LOVES ME sticker.

Before I preached my "Witness" sermon, the music director, who had undergone bulging disc surgery, sang for the 1st time in a while. He delivered a heart-wrenching rendition of a song entitled "The Church Across the Street." The lyrics speak powerfully of the need for the church to go outside its walls and witness to the Light in word and deed.