Ephesians 5: 8-14

For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light —-– for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

In the early church, Ephesians was used as a baptismal sermon, and in this snippet, I see why. The listener is transformed, given a new identity —-– child of light. There’s the charge to “try and find out what is pleasing to the Lord,” which sounds tentatively hopeful rather than triumphal or certain. And the image of light here is something that exposes hidden recesses of life.

My memories of baptism fit the tone of this text because the week after my baptism I was arrested for stealing baseball cards —-– surely an “unfruitful works of darkness.” My mother, disappointed and needing to share her sadness, turned to our church family. Being disgusted in myself as my kleptomania was disclosed to the church, I was so surprised when people shared their own life struggles with me. They engaged me in a caring, pastoral way —-– and for the first time, in an adult way that I had never experienced. I couldn’t understand how they could love me, knowing that my sin of greed and deceit had been exposed.

Those people loved me, and I stopped such destructive tendencies. We are all children of light and we are all in this family together —-– where it’s nearly impossible to hide secrets. When we hide those painful parts of ourselves, it is usually most painful to ourselves. We need to expose those dark places in our lives so that they can be transformed by the light of Christ.

Divine One, thank you for the promise of transformation —-– that you make all our weakest parts the beginnings of new life. May this hope give us the courage to live honestly, vulnerably and with compassion. Amen.

Rev. Steve Mason

Pastoral Resident