A Chapel Talk for Episcopal Schools Week, October 17, 2024. Matthew 5:13-20

Lord, you have given us Your Word for a light to shine upon our path; grant us so to meditate on that Word, and to follow its teaching, that we may find in it the light that shines more and more until the perfect day; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen (EMH V.II)

Every day, from our field, we look out and see the Charlotte skyline; it is a beautiful site. Every evening, when it’s dark, I can sit in my living room and see the skyline all lit up–it’s colors changing every night. I particularly love driving home on the highway and coming upon the whole skyline at night. When I can first see the skyline lit up, I feel home. Light is powerful. Light shows us something. Light illuminates our way.

In our passage from Matthew’s gospel today, Jesus has a LOT to say. He has just started his ministry of healing and teaching and people are starting to follow him, he has become the hottest ticket to see. So many people wanted to hear from Jesus, that he climbed the mountain to speak to them. Does anyone know what this speech was called? 

He offers a lot of wisdom and teaching in this sermon on the Mount-and this particular passage, Jesus asks his followers to be the Light of the World. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. When we are at the top of the mountain, shining our light, we can be seen. Like a lighthouse, or the city skyline showing me the way home.  Our light reflects not ourselves but brings light to the good works we do, to bring glory, not to ourselves but to God. Each of us is called to bring light to the world; how we do it is up to us.

This is Episcopal Schools Week, where we celebrate the uniqueness of being students and teachers in an Episcopal school. All schools teach reading and writing, math and science, art and music, Spanish, and PE. All have different subjects and enrichments. But as an Episcopal school, we have a special mission. There are four things that our school is called to do that set us apart:

Participate in School Worship (how do we do that?)

Engage in community life (how do we do that?)

Participate in religious formation or studies (how do we do that?)

Be advocates for social justice (how do we do that?)

How amazing is it that we get to do all of these things at school? We get to do all of these things at Trinity because we are an Episcopal school. They aren’t extra. They are who we are.

In our formation questions at Trinity we ask, “what are we called to do?” and this is where justice comes in.  An academic scholar once said, justice is what love looks like in public. By going into the world and advocating for justice, by living lives of service, by caring for our neighbors, we are sharing God’s love. We are living into what it means to be called to be a light in the world. When we bring this love into the world, we act as God’s hands and feet and follow Jesus’ call to love and serve our neighbor.

We don’t hide our light under a bushel; rather, we shine our light to show God’s love. We don’t brag about our good deeds; we don’t do it for the photo; rather, we hold up the light at the top of the mountain to show that God’s love and light are for all. We can be the light that shows the way home for all of God’s people. 

I leave you today grateful for all you do to bring light to the world as students of Trinity Episcopal School. When you deliver meals, stock the pantry, visit differently abled or unhoused neighbors, play with friends at Epiphany, or serve the array of needs at Gailiee, you act as ambassadors of God’s grace and everlasting love. You are the light. My prayer for you as you grow up from Kindergarten, until we bid farewell in 8th grade and beyond, is that you will continue to let God’s light shine through you in your good works. The light you shine could light someone’s way to love and their way home. 

Amen.