YOU are a City on a Hill

Isaiah 58:1-12 & Matthew 5:13-16

Today we look at the second week of our stewardship texts.  Last week we heard “You are the light of the world.”  This week we hear “You are a city on a hill.”  Literally, Jesus is calling us a city on a hill.  He is blessing us and commending us with this line.  He isn’t saying if you do this or that then you will be a city on a hill.  No, we already are a city on a hill.  A city that cannot be hid.

            You have seen those kind of cities before.  Maybe it was as you made your final descent on an airplane.  Or maybe it was while you were driving through an area of flatland and off in the distance you spotted a city lit up in the night sky. 

When I was working at Klein Ranch I remember how we could literally see for miles.  We would point out the neighboring towns, they weren’t cities at all, to the campers.  There is Isabel to the south to the north is McIntosh.  Just a few street lights and we could pick them out from the dark void of the night.  You could pick them out even more on the 4^th of July, as their fireworks lit up the night sky.  They were cities that could not be hid.

            In our text today, Jesus is proclaiming that we are like those cities.  Take it as a compliment or a self-esteem booster.  For all the negative put downs we hear in our world, Jesus is giving us a put up!  Psychologists suggest that for every negative put down that elementary children hear they need to hear ten positive compliments to restore their previous sense of self-worth.  So, Jesus gives us an ultimate compliment.  We are cities on a hill.  We are beacons of light that cannot be hid.

            It’s not just a compliment.  It is also a prophecy, a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Children, if referred to as something for long enough, will become what they have been referred to as.  If you call a person bad, unlovable, or shameful for long enough, they will become just that.  If you call them good, dependable, or useful, they will become just that.  Similar to a self-fulfilling prophecy, they become what they are named as.  So, Jesus gives us a superb name.  He calls us cities on a hill.  We are unable to be hidden.  So our challenge is to hear this name as a compliment let the prophecy be fulfilled in us. 

            Julia and Michael experienced living proof of these words of Jesus.  They witnessed people acting as a city on a hill.  Julia and Michael and their two sons lived in New Orleans.  One morning they awoke to the threat of Hurricane Katrina.  They began to prepare their home for the storm and then ultimately decided to evacuate to Julia’s parents’ house in Alabama.  Shortly after the hurricane Michael’s employer was offering temporary employment in Texas.  They left for Texas.  FEMA provided housing at a  local hotel and the boys were enrolled in a Lutheran school.  During this time of transition several people showed the love of Christ with them by providing for their needs.  Upon finding out that they had been relocated because of Hurricane Katrina, the florist gave them flowers, Michael’s employer gave them a car to use, families at the school provided their children with school supplies and clothing, and even school lunches, and a mother at school helped them find an apartment and furniture.  Eventually Michael was offered a permanent job in Texas and they quickly discovered a home they could rent until they could buy.  God provided for them through the work of other people – God provided them with a city on a hill when they needed it most

So, how is it that we are to be as cities on a hill?  How can we use our time, talents, and treasures to serve as a city on a hill that cannot be hid?  South Canyon offers a lot of opportunities for you to share what you have so graciously been given by God.  There are also plenty of other non-profits and other organizations that have ways for you to share your gifts and resources.

Want to support this congregation?  You could make a commitment to return your faith promise card to the church office indicating your intent to offer support, prayer, and financial resources to this congregation.

Want to make a difference?  You could adopt a family for our Christmas Servant Event and ensure that their family is able to celebrate the Christmas holiday with gifts and a well-stocked pantry.  You could also help us in our food drive for the event, by bringing non-perishable food items.

Want to feed the hungry?  You could sign up to help with the meal we serve at the Cornerstone Rescue Mission by bringing a Jell-O salad, bananas, cookies, helping make sandwiches, or helping to serve the meal.

Want to learn?  You could join a small group or attend a Bible study as a way of learning and growing more in your faith.

Like being in the kitchen? You could help with Wednesday night meal prep during the day on Tuesdays and Wednesdays or come help with our Free Lunch program once a month.

Know how to smile?  You could smile at the people you pass by in the grocery store, at the gym, or the ones sitting next to you at church.

Like to teach?  You could offer to teach a Sunday School class or help with our education time on Wednesday night.

Able to notice the small things?  Pay attention to what is happening around you and recognize when others are being a city on a hill to you or to someone else. 

As we share what we have so graciously been given by God: our time, our talents, and our treasures, don’t do it so that others will notice and give you praise.  Like our reading from Isaiah states, “Why do we fast, but you do not see?  Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?”  No, to be seen is not our purpose.  Our purpose is to “loose the bonds of injustice, … to let the oppressed go free, … to share our bread with the hungry, to bring the homeless poor into our house, when we see the naked, to cover them.”  And in all that we do, not to do good in order to be seen by others, but to do it as a response to what God has already given us.

Let Isaiah’s words direct your daily living.  Be a repairer of the breach.  Be a restorer of streets to live in.  Let Jesus’ compliment soak in.  You are a city on a hill.  Let the prophecy be fulfilled through your words and actions.  Be a city on a hill.  Notice when others are being a city on a hill to you or to others.  And don’t ever let your city be hid.  Amen.