Love Shines Jesus’ Light to All!

Tonight, there will be a total lunar eclipse from about 11:00 pm to 1:00 am. During the eclipse, the Moon will pass into Earth’s shadow and the reflected light from the Sun will be blocked making the moon dark.

Love can also be eclipsed. Love is eclipsed or hidden when someone just says, “I love you.” And then does nothing to show it. At the same time, doing good things for someone without saying why hides love. If you have love in your heart for someone and you do not say it or do anything for that person, then love is hidden. If you do good things for someone because you expect good things back from them, that is also not love. If you do good things to people who you think deserve it and do bad things or do nothing for people who you think do not deserve it, that is not love. People, you and I included, do lots of good things for others but they are not always loving. We also do bad things to others, which are also not loving. Sin eclipses love: real love is blocked by sin, sin that affects the whole world and is as diverse as all the people in the world.

Paul wanted to remove the sin that blocked love. In our Old Testament reading from Acts 13, we hear about Paul preaching in the city of Pisidian Antioch. This city was located south of the Black Sea in modern Turkey. On the Sabbath, Paul and his fellow missionary Barnabas went to the synagogue. As was the pattern, there was a reading from the Law and the Prophets, or readings from what we would call the Old Testament. Paul was given the chance to give a word of encouragement to the people. Paul then gave a sermon recorded in Acts 13:16-41 detailing the love of God for Israel. He made his points using the Old Testament Scriptures they held sacred. These Scriptures pointed to the one who would remove the sin that blocked love.

Paul preached on the love of God for Israel. He began with their time in slavery in Egypt when God grew them into a nation, delivered them, was patient with them in the wilderness and drove out other nations to give them the land of Israel. God then provided leaders or judges for Israel, and when they rejected the pattern of judges and sinfully asked for a king to become like the other nations, God gave them a king. King David was a great king, but God promised an even greater king from David’s line, the Savior Jesus. John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus by baptizing and calling the people to repent of their sins. John pointed the people to Jesus as the Savior, but still Jesus was rejected and crucified. Yet, Jesus rose from the dead as the Scriptures prophesied would happen as in Psalm 16, 10 “You will not let your holy one see decay.” Paul’s message then culminated in this statement, 38 “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.” This statement is the definition of the gospel. This is God’s love for us, that we have been saved from our sins through Jesus. And after this Paul warned them against rejecting Jesus as the Savior and his forgiveness.

Paul’s message of God’s love to those at the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch was almost eclipsed. The central message of Paul’s message was, 38 “…through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.” Some who heard this were filled with joy and faith, while others rejected and persecuted Paul and Barnabas hoping to snuff out their message like putting a lid on a candle jar.

Your reaction to this message is not always love. Sometimes you do not want to hear about Jesus’ forgiveness because it means acknowledging your sins. You would not say it this way, but this summarizes the trap you and I fall into, “I do not want the kind of brutal honesty regarding my sins that comes from being in worship, connected to a congregation and having a pastor who knows me. Instead, I would rather say that I love God, I am spiritual, I pray a lot, or I am a believer, but then keep chasing after my uniquely sinful desires, using words and promoting ideas that are against God’s Word and live my life how I want.” Or we do not want to hear about Jesus’ forgiveness because we feel our sins are too bad and our faith is overcome by our emotions of guilt and shame as we hide ourselves from God’s love. Or we do not want to tell others about their sins and Jesus’ forgiveness because we think they deserve punishment for their sins, and we do not want them to hear about Jesus. Or we just plain doubt that the Holy Spirit can create faith in a certain person’s heart because they are so bad. Or we do not tell them about Jesus because we are afraid that they will turn against us and hurt us. Your reaction to Jesus’ forgiveness is not always love for God or love for others. If only there was someone who could love someone who doesn’t acknowledge sin, who indulges sinful behaviors or someone who does not want to share God’s love with others, then we could be confident that someone loves us. Oh wait, we do know someone. And his name is Jesus.

The only way to see uneclipsed love is to see Jesus. When threatened for sharing Jesus with the people of Pisidian Antioch, Paul and Barnabas said, 47 “For this is what the Lord has commanded us: “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” 48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.” Jesus had to be shared because he saved all people. His light cannot be hidden; his light must shine. We do not know who will believe the message of Jesus’ forgiveness, but we do know God calls us to faith through the message of Jesus, so we share Jesus with everyone. In our Gospel reading from John 13, we hear some of the words Jesus spoke to his disciples the night he was betrayed, 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” The next day on Friday, Jesus proved his love for you and the world. In Matthew 27, we hear these words, 45 “From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).” Jesus gave up his life to save you, and three days later he returned to life to prove you have been saved. Jesus’ love is so powerful that it brings you forgiveness, saves you from death, saves you from hell, wipes your sinful record clean, gives you a perfect record of love and gives you an eternal home in heaven.

God’s love is so powerful it is also reflected by you. The message of Jesus’ forgiveness caused such a stir in Pisidian Antioch that Paul and Barnabas only preached a few times because they were forced to leave, but a new Christian congregation was started with the believing Jews and Gentiles. Jesus’ forgiveness is the message you and I gather around each week. Jesus’ love for you is real and it is his love that you share with others. The final and lasting love of God for you and all who believe was shown to John and recorded in our New Testament reading from Revelation 21, 5 “He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.” Do not miss the amazing wonder of Jesus life, death and resurrection to save you and the world from sin. So often, you and I focus on the darkness of the world and our sins, and we lose sight of the light of the Son. I know that it is a loving thing to tell someone not to look at the sun and if your kids or your spouse is staring at the sun, you will put your hand over their eyes or gently turn their head away from it. But today because I love you and God loves you, I am telling you to stare at the Son and do not take your eyes off him and tell everyone in your life to stare at him and his wonderful light. Jesus is the source of life and because of his love for you he has removed your sins, so that you can enjoy life with him forever in heaven.

Tonight, there will be a total lunar eclipse from about 11:00 pm to 1:00 am. During the eclipse, the Moon’s reflected light will be blocked by the Earth’s shadow. Sin threatens to keep you from Jesus and all of us from loving others with the light of Jesus. The moon is stuck in its orbit, but you have been freed from wandering in the darkness, freed from fear and hatred. You live in the light of God’s love and forgiveness. May God fill you with his love so that you are confident of Jesus’ forgiveness for your sins and so that your love shines Jesus’ light to all. Amen.