Making a Difference in Canada

I’d like to begin this morning by telling you a true story about a woman I know. She works for the Canadian government in Immigration Services. Her job involves helping foreign refugees get settled and start a new life here in Canada.

She is a committed Christian who really cares about people. Her job brings her into contact with folks who have been through some harrowing experiences; people who are struggling to deal with difficult emotions, feelings of uprootedness, haunting loneliness, fear, and insecurity.

In her official capacity with the Ministry of Immigration, she is not allowed to share Christ with these people. But she has found ways to informally befriend them and stay in contact with them after they pass through her office. The refugees have found her to be a person of integrity—a friend they can trust in this strange new land.

She and her husband started a seekers Bible study in their home. She was able to invite many of these new Canadians to that study—Iraqi Kurds, Muslims, Central Americans regularly gathered in her living room to learn more about Jesus. The two of them have had the joy of leading more than 20 of these special people to the Lord.

She is a Canadian who’s making a difference because she isn’t afraid to let her light shine for Jesus. Bruce Wilkinson is another.

Dr. Bruce Wilkinson is a professor of economics at the University of Alberta in Calgary. He is also a committed Christian. Every September at the beginning of the academic year, he stands in front of 500 students who are enrolled in his introductory economics course. He talks to them about exams and essays, but he also talks to them in that introductory lecture about his faith in Jesus Christ.

He says “I know that some of my colleagues here at the university are going to tell you that they don’t believe in God, so I think that it’s just as fair to share with you that I do believe in Him. I want you to know that Jesus Christ is a vital part of my life and that Jesus influences my outlook as an economist. We all have a certain perspective, and that’s where I’m coming from.”

The interesting thing has been the reaction of Dr. Wilkinson’s students. Out of all the hundreds of end-of-term professor evaluations that they’ve turned in over the years, there have only been a handful that have been critical of his Christian witness.

On the other hand, hundreds of students have expressed appreciation for the professor’s forthrightness about his faith. And, during the course of the year, many students seek out Dr. Wilkinson’s guidance and help with problems they are facing because they know him to be a man of integrity and faith. This has given him the opportunity to lead many of them to put their trust in Jesus Christ.

Bruce Wilkinson is a Canadian who’s making a difference because he’s not afraid to let his light shine for Jesus.

Canada is a country that has the distinction—for the seventh straight year—of being Number One on the United Nations’ list of “best countries in which to live”. We pride ourselves on our civility as a people, and on our efforts to insure that everyone in our society has his or her basic needs met. We enjoy an international reputation as a peacekeeping nation, and we open our arms wide to outsiders who wish to immigrate.

On the lighter side, we go out of our way to make sure that everyone understands that we are NOT Americans; that we have a Prime Minister not a president; that we are NOT all lumberjacks, and that the beaver is a noble animal. The phrase “I am Canadian” has become a national point of pride.

(Of course, the fact that an entire nation could derive its sense of identity from a beer commercial actually tends to strengthen some of the stereotypes we’re trying to dispell!)

And yet, for all of this good feeling—for all this national pride—Canada is a nation in trouble.

Our young people—Generation Next—suffer from alienation and loneliness. Depression is now a common, chronic problem among youth. It strikes earlier and more severely than ever before. One veteran high school principal said “It used to be back in the 1960’s that my biggest problem was student unrest. Now my biggest problem is student rest. I can’t get them interested in anything.”

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people under the age of 18. The suicide rate among children ten to fourteen has increased 120% in the past decade. One out of three teens has thought seriously about suicide; one out of seven has actually tried it.

This generation is angry—and it’s the kind of anger that comes out in violence, such as the swarmings and beatings that have been in the news in the GTA over the past year. The homicide rate among 14-17 year olds has increased 165% in the past decade.

There is only one age group in North America in which the death rate is rising and that is among teenagers. 78% of all youth fatalities are violent—teens die from suicide, homicide, or, most commonly, traffic accidents—many of them related to alcohol or drug use.

Canadian youth are in trouble because the Canadian family is in trouble. The 1996 Canadian census revealed that of all Canadian families, just 27% were what we would call traditional nuclear families—a father and mother in an original marriage with children living together in the home. 47% of all Canadian families are blended families which result from divorce and remarriage. 28% of all Canadian families with children living at home are headed by a single parent. Almost one out of three children are now born out of wedlock.

Projections show that if current trends continue for the next twenty years, the number of Canadians living in common-law relationships will equal the number of Canadians living in traditional marriages. Almost half of the marriages that are performed in Canada this year will end in divorce. These are not encouraging statistics. The Canadian family is in trouble.

And the family is in trouble because Canadians as individuals are in trouble. We have long known that we are living in a post-Christian era. But did you know that we are living in what scholars are now calling a “post-secular” age.

Interest in spirituality is at an all-time high, but interest in traditional, organized, institutional religion is at an all-time low. The fact that a few mega-churches may be doing well cannot mask the fact that overall, church attendance in North America is in decline, and has been for years. People simply do not see the traditional church as relevant to their spiritual needs.

Most Canadians have tried to build a kind of personal and private “synthetic spirituality” in which they blend elements from a variety of religions, philosophies, and pop psychology. The result is that there is no longer any commonly held view of right and wrong in our society—everyone does what is right in their own eyes. Not only do people not know the difference between right and wrong; they are not even aware that there is a universal standard of right and wrong.

Truth is plastic—it’s no longer a set of moral absolutes based on the Bible—it is whatever works for me. Our politics, our government, our public policy, our system of legal justice is now shifting to reflect this new reality. And if you are still backward enough to believe in absolutes, you’d better not try to foist them on anyone else in our society, or you’ll rue the day!

Now as Christians, we are naturally concerned with what’s happening in Canada. And we wonder what to do about it. What can we do to arrest these trends? What can we do to make a difference in Canada?

Well, it’s tempting to think that if we can just muster enough votes—if we can just pull together enough people who believe as we do—we’ll be able to affect the political process, and get the right politicians elected so that we can change some of these wrong-headed government policies that are leading us down the wrong track.

But I’d like to submit to you that what’s wrong with Canada is not about what’s happening in Ottawa, or Queen’s Park, or Mississauga City Hall. It’s about what’s happening—or what needs to happen—in the hearts of individual Canadians.

And there’s something we can do about that. Jesus told us how we can make a difference in Matthew 5:14-16…

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

This passage occurs in the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus lays out the distinctive marks of a Christian. And he tells us in this immediate context that if you are a Christian, you are going to make a difference in your environment. You are going to have an impact on the society in which you live.

In verse 13, he talks about how Christians are like salt. Salt has a permeating effect, a preserving effect, a purifying effect, a thirst-producing effect, and a flavor-enhancing effect. And Christians can do all that in the society in which they live.

In verses 14-16, Jesus compares his followers to light and there are three things I’d like you to notice about what he said:

1. He said “You”. And that’s an emphatic “you”. In other words, Jesus was saying “You, and only you, are the light of the world.”

We live in a dark world. People are looking for light—they’re looking for answers. But they won’t find that light in the synthetic spirituality they try to invent for themselves, they won’t find it in Buddhism, or Islam, or Hinduism. They won’t find it in psychology, or philosophy, or science. They’ll only find that light in the lives of the true followers of Jesus Christ—because that light is Jesus Himself.

Jesus said “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” And if you become his follower, you will have His light in your life.

2. Jesus said “You are…” He didn’t say “You should be”, or “You ought to be”, or “Here is your assignment; here is what I want you to be…” He said “You are the light of the world.”

Being the light of the world is an integral part of who you are as a Christian. It is not an optional extra. Because being a Christian means having Jesus living in your life, and Jesus is the light of the world. If He’s in your life, He’s going to shine. So your being light is a function of the fact that He is the light.

3. He said “You are the light of the world.” He didn’t say “You are the light of the church.” or “you are the light for each other”. It’s when we’re out in the world that our light shines brightest, not when we’re in church.

Now what is it about light that would make Jesus want to use it as a picture of a Christian? Three things:

1. Light reveals the way

Awhile ago, I was doing some wiring in a dark corner of my basement. And after fumbling around in the dark for a few minutes, I realized that if I was going to get that job done properly, I would need a flashlight. Once I got the flashlight pointed in the right direction, I could see exactly what I needed to do, because light reveals the way.

And that is true in the spiritual realm as well. As Christians, we are the light of the world. We should be like spiritual streetlights, showing people the pathway to eternal life so they don’t have to stumble around in the dark.

2. Light warns of danger.

In our living room, we have a picture of the Montauk Lighthouse. It is located out on the Eastern tip of Long Island where there are dangerous shoals and rocks. They didn’t put that lighthouse there to be a decorative fixture, or a tourist attraction. The job of that lighthouse is to warn ships away from the rocks. When the sailors see the light, they know where the danger is.

One of the functions that we have as Christians is to warn the world of spiritual danger. Now, I’m not talking about becoming one of those weird characters who goes around with a placard preaching doom and destruction.

But there is a sense in which we need to shine God’s light on things that will destroy people. We need to speak out against things like abortion, and racism, and pornography—things which devastate people and do great damage to society.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Christian who lived in Germany during the dark days when Adolf Hitler was in power. And Bonhoeffer, and a few other believers, dared to speak out against what the Nazis were doing. Most of the rest of the Protestant church in Germany remained silent.

But Bonhoeffer and a few others—they called themselves the Confessing Church—dared to challenge the crimes of Hitler’s government. Bonhoeffer was ultimately jailed and executed for shining the light of God’s truth on the spiritual darkness that was all around him.

It may be that you, as an employee, need to speak up about some dishonest practice, or some immoral policy of your company. It may be that you need to intervene in the life of a friend who may be about to do something that is against the will of God. It may be that you need to speak up as a parent at a school board meeting, or as a citizen in a letter to your Member of Parliament.

Now this kind of thing doesn’t earn you very many points in a popularity contest. But one of the functions of light is to warn of danger. And when we raise our voice against sin and evil, we are being light in a dark world.

3. Light isn’t meant to be concealed.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said “A community of Jesus which seeks to hide itself has ceased to follow Him.”

Jesus said “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.”

When Jesus said this, he was sitting on a hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee teaching his disciples. And as they sat there, they could look out across the lake and see a large city on top of a hill on the far shore, about halfway down the lake. The white limestone buildings of the city gleamed in the strong Middle Eastern sun.

That was the city of Hippos, one of the cities of the Decapolis, and it was about ten miles from where the disciples were sitting. But they could see it clearly. Jesus may have pointed to that city as he said “A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”

The church is like a city on a hill for a world that is in darkness.

We live in the age of electricity, when light is all around us. But it wasn’t so in Jesus day. In those days, the people would use oil lamps made of pottery. They were little shallow dishes, pinched in at one end to hold a wick in place, and with a handle at the other end. They used olive oil as fuel, and a wick made of flax. Now to light one of those little lamps took some doing.

The usual way that you would kindle a flame in those days was to use a fire drill. That’s a dowel of wood, a bow, and a base made of wood in which there was a little shallowed-out part.

To light a fire, you’d put a few scraps of wood shavings, or cotton lint, into the shallow-out part of the base, and then you’d set your dowel in there and start spinning it with the bow. The friction of the rapidly spinning dowel would eventually ignite the tinder, and that’s how you’d light your lamp.

The point is that you wouldn’t go to all that trouble to light a lamp only to hide it under a basket or a bowl. That lamp would be the only source of light in your house at night. After you lit it, you’d put it up on a special lampstand to give light to the whole house. A lamp on a lampstand is doing what it is meant to do.

But in spite of the fact that Jesus says we are the light of the world, there are Christians who go around with their lamp under a bowl. They’re afraid to show the light; they’re afraid to admit to people that they are Christians. They want to be “secret disciples”.

But Christianity is meant to be seen. Someone has said “There can be no such thing as secret discipleship, for either the secrecy destroys the discipleship, or the discipleship destroys the secrecy.”

Jesus said “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

The Greek word for “good” used in that verse is an interesting word. It means more than just simply “good”. It means attractive. It means fair. It means beautiful. It means warm, winsome. It means a goodness that is warm and attracting and inviting, not cold and hard and repelling.

We are the light of the world, and we need to be what we are. We live in a spiritually dark world that desperately needs the light.

OPP Sergeant Chuck Wesley is not your everday cop. He’s a Christian—a Christian who’s not afraid to let his light shine.

Sgt. Wesley is based in Orillia, but his job takes him all over Northern Ontario. He was born in the little town of Marathon, and has been with the OPP for over 25 years.

As a police officer, he often finds himself in situations where people have real needs. One day, he was in the hospital visiting another OPP officer who had been shot in the line of duty. He noticed a Bible on the nightstand, and asked the man if he could read to him from it. The man agreed, so Chuck read Psalm 23 and prayed with him. Later on, he brought by a cassette player and some Gospel tapes for the man to listen to.

Chuck has a real passion for reaching out to young people. He has three sons of his own, and he has a heart for First Nations youth, because Chuck himself is part Cree. He has seen the alienation and aimlessness of so many First Nation young people.

One day, while on duty near Timmins, he noticed an old, abandoned youth camp on Lipsett Lake. He made inquiries about the property, got his local church involved, and eventually they were able to purchase that camp from the Ministry of Natural Resources. Today, that camp has a ministry sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the youth of Northern Ontario.

Chuck Wesley is a Canadian who’s making a difference, because he isn’t afraid to let his light shine for Jesus.

You can be like Chuck Wesley, or that immigration officer, or Bruce Wilkinson. Just let your light shine. You’ll be surprised at the difference you can make!