Sunday Afternoon Tea - The desire to be "a city on a hill"

There are two former presidents that bring a smile to my face.  The first is George Washington, for he could have been king and chose to continue the Republic by stepping down from office when people wanted to make him king.  Not to mention he helped to win the American Revolution.  The second is Ronald Reagan, a man who appeared like a slow dunce to his political opponents but was wise as the proverbial fox.

I was thinking of Reagan this past week when I heard someone talk about the term "a city on a hill".  Reagan often shared his desire for America to be "a city on a hill" to the rest of the world because of its' freedom that is constitutionally protected.

The phrase comes from Matthew chapter 5, when Jesus tells his followers that they are to be the light of the world and that a city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Although, the context in which Reagan used it it was made famous by John Winthrop of the Massachusetts Bay Company.

This past week, one of the cashiers who waits on me most often at Goodwill saw me in the store and came to talk to me.  A man that she was waiting on had just asked her if she had crawled over the wall to come into America.  He said he was a military veteran and he had a gun.  That he was going to use against people like her in the coming civil war.  Yikes.

I talked to her awhile and offered comfort but I could not help but think how frightening this had to be for her.  Actually, she is from the Philippines and is a legal immigrant and has never been near the southern border as far as I know.  I was telling my husband about it later and he said that could make all military veterans look bad to her.

I believe God had me there at that time for a purpose, to be a comfort to her as a friendly customer she could trust... but also to set me thinking about how difficult it is to live in times like these.  It almost makes me want to get involved once again in politics and organizations such as Concerned Women for America that I have worked with in past decades.

However, that is no longer my message.  God has called me to ponder other important stuff like traversing through these times with wisdom and discernment and peace.  He has plenty of amazing people who love Him and hold positions in politics, media, ministry, etc.  Men and women that He has called to be on the front lines for such a time as this.

I've long known it is important to be salt and light to the culture but honestly my friends, I am seeing more and more the importance of being a person who reflects the light of Christ in these dark days of change.  That is what each one of us can do to affect the culture in general but more specifically, the people with whom God has placed around us.

So often we think of the big stuff one can accomplish such as writing a book, running for office, having a popular podcast, and anything that can reach a large number of people.  However, while a very few will reach many, most of us will influence a few and it is for those people that God calls us individually to be "a city on a hill".

The good news is that He doesn't say we have to be a shiny city that looks perfect and has no rough edges.  I doubt my city would ever make one of Rick Steves guidebooks or the eating places given a Michelin star.  I think most of our cities would more reflect a small town rather than a metropolitan area.

When I think of people who are very good reflections of His Light, I think of those who take the time to talk to their friends and family without being distracted by a screen.  I think of chatting with friends over their kitchen table.  I think of friends who send an unexpected gift.  I think of friends and family who have dropped off a meal to us when we were not feeling well.  They reflect His love to us and to others.

I try to be His Light... His "city on a hill" to the world around me... by being kind to people who wait on me and and telling a person in distress that I will pray for them... and I do... even if I don't know them well.  I truly believe we minister to others and reflect His light when we bake cookies for neighbors and are kind to children who are rowdy and the elderly who are slow.

What makes us "a city on the hill"?  First of all, we walk through a world that is in fear with a calm grace that attracts people to us.  We do not pretend to have all the answers, we lead people to the One who is the Answer.  We shine light only because we can reflect His light by spending time with Him.

One of the things I do each day is to set my cell phone alarm to wake up with enough time to make my first cup of coffee in the Keurig, feed the indoor and the outdoor kitty, then take my insulin pens and a package of Orange Cranberry Breakfast Biscuits to the TV table in the family room.

Then I settle in to watch a half hour of beautiful scenery and music on one of the Christian TV networks at 7:00. Once in awhile, a Bible verse will appear on screen but sometimes it is just the scenery.  Sometimes the music is more classical and at other times it is a soft praise and worship.

It wasn't easy in the beginning to wake up early when I didn't have to, especially on very cold and dark winter mornings.  But I have done it for well over a year now.  It was a way to have a rather unique "quiet time" each morning and to think of God first thing each day without nodding off over my Bible (sigh... yes, I do in the mornings).

Recently, I have been parked in the Psalms again.  It seems they are my True North of the Bible.  The place where His people have found comfort for millennia.  I do make my way back to the Gospels and the Epistles, the Letters of Jesus to the churches in Revelation, the old stories of the original Testament... the entire canon of the Word.  However, I need to breath in the songs of the ancient Psalter for spiritual strength in dark days.

I am thankful that He never asks us to be perfect to be His light to others.  He knows we are "but dust".  But He has given each of us gifts to use in His service to others.  I have said for decades now that I have the spiritual gift of cookies.  It is not the rich and famous and brilliant that He needs but everyday people who are walking in love toward other everyday people.

He needs those who are willing to be brave and become His "city on a hill" to a dark and lost generation.  You may be the only light in your neighborhood, your place of work, and even your family.  Shine His love on others... and I can tell you that homemade baked goods don't hurt, either.

Image:  Grasse, Cannes