This morning was the first proper sunny day in London for a while and the first time I've ventured out of the house without a coat in 2013. Although the brightness has now disappeared and cloud has reemerged, it's amazing how a little sunshine can be a mood changer.
Before Christmas I wrote a blog for the Collective and chatted a little bit about how Christians should be lights for God's kingdom. Yet this week I've been challenged about whether we're shining bright enough.
Yesterday while working I chatted to a non-Christian guy about the biblical perspective of poverty, and he said this:
"I reckon the Bible's probably says more about justice than most people do."
And I was astounded, primarily because he understood that the Bible wasn't just rules and regulations, but secondarily (and more importantly) because he was right. Statistics I read and write about regularly are true, and they're shocking. Yet so often we dodge the big issues because they're not in our daily schedule or they're just too much to get our heads around.
I've called this blog "luminosity" because it's a great word, but also because I think this is challenging:
"Luminosity: (astronomy) the intrinsic brightness of a celestial object (as distinct from its apparent brightness diminished by distance)"
Before Christmas I wrote a blog for the Collective and chatted a little bit about how Christians should be lights for God's kingdom. Yet this week I've been challenged about whether we're shining bright enough.
Yesterday while working I chatted to a non-Christian guy about the biblical perspective of poverty, and he said this:
"I reckon the Bible's probably says more about justice than most people do."
And I was astounded, primarily because he understood that the Bible wasn't just rules and regulations, but secondarily (and more importantly) because he was right. Statistics I read and write about regularly are true, and they're shocking. Yet so often we dodge the big issues because they're not in our daily schedule or they're just too much to get our heads around.
I've called this blog "luminosity" because it's a great word, but also because I think this is challenging:
"Luminosity: (astronomy) the intrinsic brightness of a celestial object (as distinct from its apparent brightness diminished by distance)"
I'm not a scientist and don't understand the specifics, but I love the idea of 'intrinsic brightness'. And I love the idea that we've all got something bright in us that has the ability to shine. Just like stars in the sky which might appear faint often, we appear faded or apathetic. But we've got an intrinsic brightness that has the potential to shine.
Yesterday I was also part of a powder paint fight. Before it started we were just white boiler suits and t-shirts - slightly unusual to passers by, but nothing special. Afterwards, we were an explosion of luminous colour. We'd gathered a crowd of spectators who wanted to know what was going on and were taking photos of us. Everyone stopped and stared.
Perhaps we need to be more like an explosion of luminous colour. What does that mean? I think it means radiating the Bible's view of justice and being prepared to shine (like the sun) and be more than a mood changer, but a world changer.
I've heard a few quotes which talk about how Christians are good at words but not actions. We blog and talk about what we're going to do but we never get round to doing it. Our intrinsic brightness is hidden and we seem diminished.
I think we need to make more paint fights in our world.
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