We had a pretty bad storm roll through town last night. Thankfully it doesn’t sound like there was too much damage, and no loss of life as far as we know. But a few of us did lose power for a little while over night.

It’s times like that when it’s handy to have a generator around that can keep the lights burning until the power company does its thing.

A generator does just what it says: It “generates.” Incidentally, that’s one of those words that sounds funny the more you say it.

generator…gen-er-ator…genner ate her.

It’s a weird one. Anyway, listen to Paul:

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:6

Paul reminds us that God made light appear out of nothing. He literally “generated” the light out of darkness. And then, a few days after He made the light (Genesis 1:3), He got around to making the Sun (Genesis 1:16). So He made the light…then made the generator.  It’s just like how God made the chicken, but that chicken made the the first egg. God made the first, and then everything reproduced naturally after its own manner. He made the light, then He made the sun to keep making more light.

Which reminds me of what Jesus said…

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 5:16

Jesus tells us to shine a light. But what light are we shining? We’re to be generators shining a light God originally made. What light? It’s the light Paul talked about in 2 Corinthians 4: Christ is the light.

God gave us the light (the Son) and then made the generator (the church) to shine it over the generations. When people see you shining your light, they’re supposed to see Jesus.

Do they?

Is your generator working?