Let Your Light Shine, Full Strength

       LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE, FULL STRENGTH                       By: Pastor Dorothy Wilcox                               

The Lord calls us to relate to him in the community of the church with all of its warts and imperfections. Christianity is a social faith, a community of fellow believers. Jesus continues to build his church upon our confession of faith that he was the one promised by the Father to die and pay the penalty for our sinfulness and to defeat death and the grave by rising again. No individual makes the church. Saint Paul speaks of members of the body of Christ; members mean absolutely nothing when they are severed from the body. Every functioning, contributing, participating member is important to the

good of our witness.

Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of the church. We are each to be a living stone cemented to the cornerstone and to one another. Each of us has a divine destiny and a place in the story of divine redemption. We have been baptized into a high vocation. We are God’s people, called to serve the Lord, on our way to heaven.

We are God’s own people. We belong to God, saved from hell by the sacrifice of Christ.

When we met to talk about the choices that Cross of Glory will be making, one thing was clear:  Cross of Glory is all about relationship.  First, our individual relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and close second, our relationship with each other as God’s people engaged in active ministry.  That is the strength of CoG; that is the future of CoG.

You matter at Cross of Glory and you matter to Cross of Glory. Everyone is welcome and everyone has something to offer.  You are not just accepted here, you are expected here.  It matters when you participate.  Together we are the body of Christ in the world; if you are not present, a member of the body is missing; we are not whole.  Come to worship.  Come to events.  Give your opinions, and listen to others’.  Pray for CoG and for your fellow members.

(Jesus said:)“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” — Matt 5:14-16, emphasis added.

We are, therefore, called to produce – produce the light of Christ in our words and deeds. We are called by Christ to servanthood, to sacrifice, into ministry, and community. Such ministry is fed and coordinated in the local church. If each Christian took seriously the Lord’s Word, our ministry and effectiveness as world-changers would explode! With the help of God, let’s let our lights shine, full strength!  With the help of God, let’s let CoG be a beacon of hope and love in our communities!