Thought for the Week: The uncomfortable Light
Charles B Lamb reflects on 'The uncomfortable Light'
Early Friends were not united by a creed, but they were united by a desire to know the Spirit and teaching of Jesus Christ and by a commitment to live what they understood that to be. They saw very clearly that the Spirit of Christ, by which they were guided, would never lead them again to fight or wage war with outward weapons. They gathered in the name of Jesus to worship God in Spirit and in Truth – even in the face of possible imprisonment. They encouraged and supported each other to live.
George Fox said he was sent to turn people from darkness to light that they might receive Christ Jesus and his power as he had done.
At Britain Yearly Meeting recently, it was very clear from what Diana Francis said in her Swarthmore Lecture that the source of Friends’ Peace Testimony, and her motivation to work for peace, was Jesus Christ. He is, however, an uncomfortable Jesus.
At the ‘meet-the-speaker’ session the next day, it was clear that some of those attending were not convinced of Friends’ pacifist position.
As we often want to do, someone trying to justify himself asked the question: ‘Who is my neighbour?’ Jesus answered with the story of the Good Samaritan – the call to care for those in need – those we would not naturally be attracted to help. As well as calling us to show kindness to our neighbours, the uncomfortable Light Jesus brought also asked us to: love our enemies; bless those who curse us; turn the other cheek; do what is beautiful to those who hate us; pray for those who take us by force and persecute us; and forgive, if we have anything against anyone so that our father in heaven may forgive us, for if we do not forgive, neither will we be forgiven.
Jesus went on to say: blessed are the merciful; with what judgement you judge you will be judged when you come to worship – if you remember that a brother has a grudge against you, first go and be reconciled, then come and worship; what matters most is how we care for the hungry, the thirsty, the sick and those least able to care for themselves; and there will be a time of fairness for rich and poor as shown in the account of the rich man and Lazarus.
In these present turbulent times, with so much killing in different parts of the world, it is worth calling to mind that when George Fox wrote to the ‘Great Turk’ in 1688 he quoted several references from the Alcoran, (the translation of the Qu’ran available at that time). Fox pointed to the section of the Alcoran that said: ‘Jesus shall be a witness on the day of judgement against such that obey not his law.’ George Fox then used this as the basis for pointing out to the Great Turk that the teaching of Jesus to love our enemies was applicable to him as well as to Christians.
We have a choice each day to try and justify ourselves or to walk in the Light of Jesus Christ – the uncomfortable Light.
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The Spirit of Christ
Now I was sent to turn people from darkness to the light that they might receive Christ Jesus, for to as many as should receive him in his light, I saw that he would give power to become Sons of God, which I had obtained by receiving Christ.
And I was to direct people to the Spirit that gave forth the Scriptures, by which they might be led into all Truth, and so up to Christ and God, as they had been who gave them forth.
And I was to turn them to the grace of God, and to the Truth in the heart, which came by Jesus, that by this grace they might be taught, which would bring them into salvation, that their hearts might be established by it, and their words might be seasoned, and all might come to know their salvation nigh.
George Fox, 1648
Quaker faith & practice 28.03
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