Well Lit and Well Ordered
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.”
On my daily drive down Old Port Gibson, one of my favorite homes belongs to Dale Wright. The cattle are lowing in the field, the pecan trees are sprouting over the drive, and the old homestead is situated atop the hill. If you happen to drive by when the yellow wild flowers blanket the pasture, the little white house simply shines. Is this not the picture Christ has in mind? If this is the case, how can Christians shine in a dark and fallen world?
On the one hand, Christians are called to be a city set upon a hill. Sons of heaven should live as close to heaven as possible. No one should have to tell a godly man to “get his mind out of the gutter.” We are called to set our minds on things that are above, not things on the earth, to live above the sin and squalor of this world. As Paul says, “Put off the old self with its practices and put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” If we dance to the world’s drum, live according to the world’s values, and speak with the world’s vocabulary, we are not set upon a hill; we are down in the slums.
On the other hand, we are called to be a light, to be a well-lit city. For a godly man to be the “light of the world,” he must first know “the light of the world” – Jesus Christ. His light overcomes the darkness and gives light to men. To be well lit without Christ is as feasible as lighting a kerosene lamp with no oil. What amazes me is what happens when the light comes on. Herein lies the beauty of the Wright Residence – the rhythmic order. If you’ve endured a few too many nights with no power, you know the home falls into disorder. When the light begins to shine, everything suddenly finds a home, a season, a reason for being. When Christ is our light, our lives become ordered and structured around Him.
The question before us is simple: are we a city raised above the squalor of a dark and fallen world? Are we a city lit by the light of Christ and ordered around His light? Are we a city set upon a hill?
