Luke 11:33-35

“When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light.” With these words in Luke 11:34, Jesus teaches us something about how to live as children of light rather than children of darkness: how to maintain integrity in your daily life; how to protect your attitudes from the influence of evil, resentment and envy. “Your eye is the lamp of your body.” Jesus teaches his disciples (then and now) that the way we think about what we see – the perspective through which we view the world around us – directly affects our spiritual and moral health. Jesus seems to imply that his disciples have the potential to view the world around them with “healthy” eyes because of the supernatural light that is within them. By virtue of their relationship to him, they [we] are the “light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14)

What does this mean for me? For me this means that the way I choose to look at the people around me is either through the lens of the gospel or through my own prejudices, fears, brokenness or evil desires – whether my friends, my enemies, my wife, my family, the man next door, the woman down the street, my colleagues, my teammates, world leaders I naturally adore or deplore, or even nameless people I come across every day. As I look at them (or think about them) I must choose to see them as Jesus sees them, as people made in the image of God, people for whom he died, people whom God has called me to love. As I look at them, I must choose to believe the gospel, the gospel that tells me that I am new in Christ, that he is my redeemer and ultimate healer, that he is all I truly need, and that Jesus’ Spirit is within me enabling me to view them with new eyes (2 Corinthians 5:16-18).

Lord, I ask you to help me engage with people this week through the lens of the gospel. Remind me moment-by-moment that I am baptized and that I have been sealed with the Holy Spirit. He guarantees the inheritance of life and hope that belongs to me through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Forgive me for letting my prejudices, fears, brokenness and evil desires become the lenses through which I see the people you have called me to love. Thank you that I have been supernaturally born again to this living hope by your Spirit. Enable me to live as a child of light, displacing the darkness of the world through the grace of the gospel. You are my hope and my life! Amen

From the Book of Common Prayer:  Almighty God, who gave such grace to your apostle Andrew that he readily obeyed the call of your Son Jesus Christ, and brought his brother with him: Give us, who are called by your holy Word, grace to follow him without delay, and to bring those near to us into his gracious presence; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen