[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Epiphany 5 Gospel

[Joe Parrish]

Forwarded:
Hi friends,
 certainly appreciate all the work of those who post to this meeting; you 
elp me to broaden my picture.  I hope that some of my thoughts will add to 
our outlook as well.  Here are a few short thoughts for the Gospel for 
piphany 5, from and Australian angle.
oward
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* Today we heard Jesus tell his followers they are like "light".
 Have a look around at the lights we use in Church: candles;
 now imagine it's dark and the electricity has gone off: we
nly have the candles;
 now look what happens when I cover up a candle with a
snuffer";
 it's no use any more.
 One of the things Jesus is reminding us about, today, is that we
urn lights on, or we light candles, so that they will be useful;
 lights can help us a lot, in the dark.
 With lights we can do all kinds of things that can't ordinarily
o when it's too dark to see.
* So what might that mean, since Jesus says we can be like lights?
 I reckon he's saying that we can be very helpful and very
seful to each other.
 God made us to be helpful to one another,
nd especially useful in helping us to live the way God knows is
est for us, the way set out in the Scriptures and in the
xamples of people who have lived before us.
 There are many people we come across who help us to do
hings we can't do for ourselves;
 e.g. in hospital (when we are sick and depend on others for
o much) we have doctors, nurses, social workers,
sychologists, Chaplains .;
 in schools we have teachers, assistants, clerical staff,
leaners, bus drivers .
 in shops we have knowledgeable staff, decorators and
esigners, accountants .
 all these people are like lights in dark places, people who
elp us do things we can't do all alone.
 But as well as that there are friends who can help each other;
 and we can be friends to other people too:
 we can listen and understand, we can encourage, we can
augh together, we can walk together, we can work together.
 There is something you can do for someone else.
 Jesus encourages us to reach out to others and offer some
elp,
 in other words: to be like a light when it is dark.
So don't hide away in your own little space: show your light!
 and one of the good things that happens is that we will
ncourage other people to "turn their lights on" too;
 and that makes even more light, so we can do even more
hings.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
he Rev'd Dr H.C. Smith
Retired Anglican Priest
Orange NSW
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