N.T. Wright, Bishop of Durham in the Church of England and a leading New Testament scholar, put out a devotional a few years ago titled Reflecting the Glory: Meditations for Living Christ's Life in the World. Gordon encouraged me to pick up a copy during Lent and I have been greatly encouraged and enriched by Wright's thoughts on various Scriptures. In one particular chapter Wright reflects on 1 Pt. 2:9-12, which just happens to tie in to the "City on a Hill" series Living Word has been in for the past several weeks:
9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
Wright makes the following comment regarding our new IDENTITY and how it should be lived out in this world: "The reason (we) are so privileged is not so that (we) can sit back and enjoy (our) new status for its own sake. Rather, it is in order that (we) may 'proclaim the mighty acts of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.'...If you are the holy nation, you are the ones who are set apart for God's purposes in the world."
When Jesus says that his followers are "the light of the world" and a "city on a hill" he is making a declarative, definitive statement...it's not as if we are maybe those things, or perhaps on our best days resemble those things. No, we ARE a city on a hill. And it is all due to God's redemptive purposes - He was the One who called us. Now we are to go and be who Christ says we are. In v.12 Peter says that when we as believers conduct ourselves with integrity some on the outside will see our deeds and glorify God. I believe what non-believers see is the light of Christ in us - and as we REFLECT His light they are motivated to worship the One who can transform sinners into saints.
This Sunday we will conclude the "City on a Hill" series with a Matt Redman song called "Shine." Gordon sang this at the end of the first week; we will do it as a congregational song at the end of this week's service (kind of a nice bookend!). The lyrics are below, along with an audio player where you can hear the song and a video from the Passion 07 Conference where Redman sang it live.
Lord we have seen the rising sun,
awakening the early dawn,
And we´re rising up to give you praise.
Lord we have seen the stars and moon, see how they shine,
They shine for you,
And You´re calling us to do the same.
So we rise up with a song, and we rise up with a cry
And we´re giving you our lives.
We will shine like stars in the universe,
Holding out Your truth in the darkest place.
We´ll be living for Your glory,
Jesus we´ll be living for Your glory.
We will burn so bright with Your praise O God,
And declare Your light to this broken world.
We´ll be living for Your glory,
Jesus we´ll be living for Your glory.
Like the sun so radiantly
Sending light for all to see,
Let your holy church arise
Exploding into life,
Like a supernova´s light,
Set your holy church on fire;
We will shine.
