John Will Creasy, a local artist missed by many, designed a specialized and symbolic cross for his church many years ago. Overlapping the intersection of the distinctive cross are a circle, to symbolize the world, and an upright fish, to symbolize Christ and Christians. This cross hangs at the front of our sanctuary, reminding the congregation that we have a place in the world.
“In the world” can mean several things. It can mean we’re alive: preparing for his execution, Jesus prayed for his disciples who would remain “in the world.” More often in the Christian Testament, it means living amidst powers that are not godly. The Apostle Paul, who wrote some of the letters in the Christian Testament, encouraged the congregation at Philippi to “be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world.” The implication is that “the world” is a dark night in need of godly light.
Darkness and fear are intertwined. Having young children, being awaken in the middle of the night by the click of the bedroom door handle is not overly strange. Recently, though, I was awaken by the click, but no sleepy child entered, and instead I heard someone descending the steps. I went to check on child one, who was fast asleep in his bed, as was child two. My heart rate increased as I stood at the top of the stairs, listening for any unusual noises.
I went back to pick up the phone in case I needed to dial 911, continuing to try to not awaken my husband. As I tiptoed back to the top of the steps to listen again, the dog walked out of the bedroom and trotted bravely downstairs. This would reveal more, and my heart rate increased again when I heard the thwap-thwap-thwap of his tail, which happens when he gets petted. It is definitely time to go back and wake the hubby. I pat his side of the bed to find him, and discover him missing. The wave of relief crashes over my body and spirit. Instead of a stranger who almost entered our room, it was he who had left it, trying not to awaken me.
The darkness is our unknown, the place of our fears. It is the uncertainty of the future. It is the secrets we guard because we assume we know how others would react if we told them. It is the human impulse to hurt others or ourselves. Darkness is the tendency to go along with the flow of the violent movies and video games, selfish materialism, and the idolatry of youth, instead of fighting it with the light and values of God.
Into the world of darkness, Jesus said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Physically, of course, Jesus is no longer in the world. Through his followers, though, he can remain the light of the world. His followers are called to “shine like stars in the [dark] world.”
The answer to the question, “How?” is the difficult part. Rarely can we answer it alone, which is one reason we have churches: to hone us, to help us see our strengths and even our weaknesses, to offer channels for us to try on different roles. The YMCA offers lots of classes for children. Kids can try ballet, gymnastics, soccer, swimming, etc., without committing to a whole season. Communities of faith offer the same on a spiritual level. One can try out different types of prayer, Bible study, and service to see where one’s unique combination of personality and talents create the brightest light to shine into a dark world. The light of the divine is within each of us. How will yours shine?
Donna Hopkins Britt is pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, 608 Campbell Avenue, SW, Roanoke. See John Will Creasy’s cross at calvaryroanoke.org.
