Each time I reflect on today’s passage, recounting David’s humble reverence before God and the favors he’d received from God (2 Sam 7:18-19, 28-29), I remind myself of the same grace freely given to each of us. David acknowledged his nothingness and marveled at how God suddenly enlarged his life, space, and calling. In much the same way, my brethren, God transforms our status in an instant through baptism. Through that sacred ritual, we are made heirs to the promise, sons and daughters of God, drawn into a new identity and purpose.
The truth of this transformation, brothers and sisters, is that God has positioned us as lamps, both for our own journey and for the dark places in others’ lives (Mark 4:21-25). No one lights a lamp only to hide it under a bushel; it is placed on a stand so that its light may guide and give vision to everyone. I’ll leave us with this powerful image to ponder and pray over. And I pray that we may fully grasp what God asks of us, and that this understanding may empower us to live out our vocation faithfully, for God’s glory and for our salvation.
