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Illumination from Center Stage

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.
(John 8:12)

You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
(Matthew 5:14-16)

Our May/June issue dealt with various ministries that take place after the sun has set. Called “In the Middle of the Night,” our theme covered nighttime ministries involving worship, hospital chaplaincy, camping, the vocational call to explore the wonders of our universe, and an online feature of a pastor’s subconscious world of dreams on nights prior to presiding at Sunday morning worship.

Our July/August issue moves us from ministries under nighttime’s cloak into a world illuminated by Light. God, of course, is the source of all illumination, both physical and spiritual (Genesis 1:14-19 and John 8:12). But Jesus also taught us to let our light shine before others (i.e., our families, neighbors, churches, differing places of work, etc.) so that the world may know something of God’s amazing goodness through the things we do and then give honor and glory to the One who is the source of all true Light.

The theme of this issue is “Taking Center Stage.” The “stage” is a metaphor for our world and its cultures. We have asked our authors: How are we expressing ourselves, as bearers of the gospel, before the broader culture and the things our culture stands for? What happens when we are placed “on center stage” for the “sake of the world”?

In other words, how are we as Christ’s followers bearing, reflecting, and illuminating God’s world with God’s light? Our July/August articles will provide a few glimpses of some of the gospel lights that are shining for the “sake of the world.”

“Going Public: Prayer and Sanctuary in a Time of Tragedy” returns us to the tragic days emanating from September 11, 2001 in New York City. Our author paints a two-scene picture. In the aftermath of the World Trade Center’s destruction, a neighbor struggled home, badly shaken. She found a candle in her apartment, returned to the street level, lit the candle, and found neighbors to pray and sing with. The second scene depicts the actions of one of our pastors who opened his congregation’s doors as a place of sanctuary.

The author of “When Saturday Night and Sunday Morning Embrace” sheds a little light on how his love for jazz also can convey Christ’s gospel light in public settings. Our author is a pastor and accomplished jazz trombonist.

Utilizing new media and its technology as some of the primary shapers of culture are constant companions to nearly everyone these days. In “Above All the Noise: Using Media for the Sake of the Gospel,” our author briefly analyzes three ways he has seen congregations respond to the media/technology blitz. He underscores how his congregation, along with many others, is finding ways to incorporate media mainly as tools in support of its mission and context.

Two online-only features further our issue’s theme of “Taking Center Stage.”

A pastor’s son reminisces in thankfulness for his father’s life in “The World through My Father’s Eyes.” He focuses on a time when his dad, Pastor Paul Smith, was called to appear in court to testify about an incident that occurred when his neighbor attacked him in his home. The court and his son were astonished at the pastor’s testimony. I think you will also be astonished as the story develops months later between the neighbor and the pastor on a cold winter’s day.

A second online-only feature includes a look at H. Richard Niebuhr’s seminal work Christ and Culture (first published in 1951) in which Niebuhr explained the different ways people of faith relate their faith to culture. The author also uses the book to examine the different ways ELCA congregations (and the congregational cultures under which they operate) are attempting to interact within the public arena.

Finally, under the theme “When Everyone Was Watching,” “Written on the Heart” readers write about experiences in the world of public ministry — when in full public view or in a fishbowl. Their stories tell about a pastor’s reaction to mistakes made in ministry, a chaplain’s war zone experience, a 9/11 story, and a story about grief.

The stage curtain lifts, and the lights begin to shine — not on the stage but out into the world our God is making new.

William Decker is editor of Lutheran Partners and Lutheran Partners Online, Chicago, Illinois.