Oak Chapel United Methodist Church

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Those who sent millions to their deaths in Nazi concentration camps, for the "wrong-race crime," along with the thousands of others who carried out their orders -- who rigged the gas chambers and fired up the crematoriums -- (this is what's interesting about them) they went home every night, most of them, ate dinner with their families, read to their children, tucked them in and kissed them goodnight. They frolicked on the weekends and sang with their friends in the beer gardens, and went to church on Sunday. And Monday morning returned to the evil. How could it have happened?

Evil and Self-Delusion

How, in a Christian nation -- the home of Protestantism, no less -- how could people so compartmentalize their lives? How could they not see the contradiction? It makes us ask scary questions about ourselves. Of what evil and self-delusion are we capable?

Among holidays Halloween is a rising star. More money is spent on Halloween than on any other holiday except Christmas. Could it be that somewhere, deep inside, we like disguises, masks, costumes, false faces? Why's it so much fun to hide our true selves from others and to pretend we are something we are not -- or, more damaging, to hide our true selves from ourselves and pretend inside?

Walk as Children of Light

Here, in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul talks about people who don't have to hide. He tells his Christian friends to, "walk as children of the light." Out in the open. No secrets. Light and darkness are frequent images in the Bible -- especially in the New Testament. Usually, these images refer to our understanding of some truth, or some mystery, or of God. We say, "I've seen the light!" Meaning, "I now understand something I didn't before." But here Paul uses light and darkness differently, speaking not of understanding but of character and social influence.

People who live right, he says, who "try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord," who live out in the open, above board, in the bright light of day, need not hide any part of themselves behind disguises and deceptions. They don't need the darkness. Paul calls these people "children of the light." They have nothing to cover up, nothing to hide. They enjoy, as he says in Romans, "the glorious liberty of the children of God."

In the Lord You are Light

He begins by reminding the Ephesians of their own spiritual history, which is the generic spiritual history of all Christians: "…once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light." Did you notice? He doesn't say (as we surely would have said), "Once you lived in darkness.", or "Once you were surrounded by darkness." He says, "Once you were darkness." He doesn't say, "Now you are enlightened." He says, "Now you are light."

You see, Paul knew that we share in the light or the darkness around us, and are actively part of it. It is not simply that these things (light and darkness) are the conditions of our lives. They don't just happen to us. We also participate in them and pass them on. Jesus said, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." We are not simply recipients of the light, you see. We are also shiners of the light. "This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine."

Now, if we can walk in the light (living lives of integrity and truth) and pass that light on to others (so that they needn't hide), then it follows that we can also walk in darkness (where lies and deception prevail) and pass on the darkness, the gloom of ungodly living.

We have Influence!

In other words, we are witnesses, we are influencers. The "fruit of the light," Paul says (which is a strange metaphor, I know) -- "the fruit of the light is goodness and righteousness and truth." (Couldn't we use more of those?) That's how people live when the light's on them.

Our light, of course, shines both ways. It shines out from us, on the world all around, making others who live in the darkness feel uncomfortable in our presence; but it also shines into us, into the deepest recesses of our hearts. Listen to this advice, from Paul, in the same passage from Ephesians: "Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness (you see light is "fruitful," darkness is not -- that's generally true in nature, isn't it?) Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them." It's not enough simply to avoid evil, it's not enough simply to live right.

Expose the Works of Darkness

Paul says we have to expose the works of darkness. That's the nature of light. That is why Christians, so often, find themselves in harm's way. We have to call a spade a spade. We cannot always be polite.

I met a college professor last year who argued for the legalization of illicit drugs. The picture he painted was that of an innocent academic, like himself, sitting by his fireplace on a Saturday night, enjoying a single marijuana cigarette." But that's a lie, you see. That's not the real picture. Drugs kill thousands and ruin hundreds of thousands. They destroy families, cause babies to be born who, because of their mother's addiction, haven't got a snowball's chance. We have to say that.

Drug use belongs to the world of darkness. It's no good sugar coating it. We can love drug addicts and work to help drug addicts -- but we can't, as children of the light, say drugs are o.k. When the light of truth shines, it exposes things.

The Truth About Families

Dan Quail, bless his soul, was right about Murphy Brown. Babies need mothers and fathers. And the huge majority of single mothers don't have it nearly as easy as Murphy Brown. We need to tell the truth about pregnancies that occur without commitment from both parents. (Support people in this dilemma, yes. Have compassion, yes. Help, yes.) But we still have to tell the truth, if we are to be children of light.

We need to tell the truth about divorce. With all the love and support we can muster, we must say that divorce is always painful and leaves emotional scars on everyone involved.

Truth in Advertising

We need to shine the light of truth on advertisers who appeal to the hopes and dreams (often foolish hopes and dreams) of the poor. Making them even poorer. As Christians we must expose these things, not just avoid them. We have to be like Jesus, a light that shines in the darkness. And we know what happened to him.

It goes against our every instinct to be judgmental like that (although we are not really judging, we are simply turning on the light). We want to be tolerant, and inclusive, and (frankly) liked.

Limits to Friendliness

My father had a wonderful, friendly personality. In the bank where he worked, whenever a particularly obnoxious customer came in, they would send dad out to deal with him or her. They said (and my father was proud of it), "Roy Boyer could get along with the devil himself." I was in my twenties when I realized that is not a compliment. It's not good to get along with the devil.

Jesus would never have won Miss Congeniality. If we are to be a light in an otherwise dark world, we will have enemies. Some people, and some insects, really love darkness. They don't want that rock overturned. But the other side of the coin -- and this is what keeps us from becoming holier-than-thou -- the other side is that the light, the exposing and purifying light of God's truth, also shines in us, and reveals ugly things.  

I Could Have Been a Nazi

I could have been a Nazi. It's not hard for me to imagine a combination of circumstances, along with some weakness of character on my part, that would have led me into it. And, having started down that road, I would not have had the courage to turn back and fight the traffic. Many "good" people were Nazis. It is so important for us to keep that inner light shining, to see ourselves clearly and honestly. It hurts, but it heals, too. Like cleaning out a wound.

It is Cleansing to Tell the Truth

Alcoholics often describe a wonderful feeling of relief when they attend their first AA meeting and say, for the first time, "My name is Joe, and I'm an alcoholic." Let the healing begin! No more lying, no more hiding, no more disguises, and masks and false faces. I'm going to tell the truth for a change, first to myself, and then to others, and then to God. I'm going to walk in the light. I cannot fix this thing by myself. I'll never be anything but an alcoholic -- but I might, by the grace of God, be a sober one.

That same sense of healing and wholeness takes place in a more general way when we face our sin -- our dark sides. I will always be a sinner -- but I might, by the grace of God, be a saved one. We have known for centuries that the path to new life begins with judgement and repentance, but for centuries we have resisted it -- trying to find another way. There is no other way.

"God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." Jesus is the light of the world. We are lamps set on lampstands -- lights that cannot be hid. "Walk as children of the light." Be the same on the inside as you are on the outside.

God Loves Us As We Are

Know that God loves you just as you are, inside and out, and that if others will not offer you that same unconditional love, it is their problem and their loss. Our pretenses, our self-delusion, our false faces are what keeps us from being saved, not our sins.

God has arranged for sins. But, like a good physician, he cannot help us if we do not come, and if we do not tell him where we hurt. The truth, and only the truth, will set us free. We have to walk in the light. "He that followeth after me walketh not in darkness," saith the Lord.

Peter Bloch, Director of Evangelism for our Church, has given a Truth in the Lord retreat for the Mary Gardner Ministries. A retreat of that same nature is being planned for Oak Chapel, but the date and place are as yet uncertain.