Sunday, August 7, 2011

Arise and Let Your Light Shine


The Kenyan Evangelical Lutheran Church (KELC) invited our group to worship at the Nairobi International Lutheran Congregation on the 8th Sunday after Pentecost. They also asked if there was a pastor among us, because their regular pastor was away; and so I preached this Sunday. Pastor Luke Mwololo led the liturgy and I gave the sermon. It was a special Sunday – it was Youth Sunday, where young people took turns leading different parts of the service, including reading scripture. The music was led by African drums and a keyboardist. We sang several songs familiar to the Grace congregation, including When the Saints Go Marching In; Lord, I Lift Your Name on High; and We Are Marching in the Light of God. The scripture that they chose for this Sunday was Matthew 5:13-16.

I chose to focus on the passages where Jesus says, “You are the salt of the Earth; you are the light of world.” I addressed three questions in my message: 1) What does it mean to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth, 2) Why is it important, and 3) How can I be a light and like salt? I concluded my sermon with these words: “Jesus says, ‘Arise, shine bright. Be tasty and flavorful.’ Jesus is calling on us and He is counting on us. God made each one of us on purpose and for a purpose. Finally, God’s love works through us, but it’s not about us; it’s about others. God is calling us to serve Him through serving others.” We finished the sermon singing together This Little Light of Mine. Following the service, we were invited for Kenyan tea and cookies outside.

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