Keeping the Candle Lit

175th Anniversary Celebration
Matthew 5:13-16
August 4, 2019
First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL
Rev. Christina Berry



When the town of Sterling began in 1838,
its citizens immediately organized Sunday worship services.
They met initially in the home of Hezekiah Brink,
and later, they gathered wherever there was sufficient space.
John Galt’s sister, Mary Wallace, had come to the area in 1837;
she persuaded her brother to come and bring his family.
The Galts of Lancaster County were staunch Presbyterians.
Thomas Galt, the father of John and Mary,
was an abolitionist and a conductor on the underground railroad.
He founded two churches in Illinois.

So what happened that night in 1844 is understandable.
That night, the Christians of the town had gathered for worship.
Each one had brought a candle to light their way to the gathering,
and to light the room where they met.
When the visiting Universalist preacher
“happened to make a statement that went against the grain with [Galt],
he seized his candle,
his share in the illumination of the meeting,
the one which lighted the preacher’s desk,
and strode hastily and noisily from the room,
his wife close behind him.”

Though Galt had seized his candle and departed,
he did not extinguish the candle,
nor did he abandon worship; to the contrary:
the event was the impetus for the formation of this congregation.

That candle that exited the room that night is still lit, in a way,
and we celebrate today the faithfulness that kindled it
and kept it burning steadily throughout these 175 years.

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world”
and when he said it, he was speaking to all who follow him.
The function of light is not to be seen,
but to illuminate the world
so that things can be seen as they are.

When those ten people met so many decades ago,
bringing their candles was a necessity.
Otherwise, how would they read scripture, or sing from the Psalter?

When the new church installed their first pastor, Reverend Stebbins,
a 1908 history said, ““Before his installation,
union services were held by the Baptists and members of other churches,
each family bringing its own candle.”

Imagine, in the early evening of November 4, 1844,
the families coming from every part of town, from other denominations, 

coming into the new church, each family bringing its own candle!

Each family brought its own little light,
until the whole sanctuary was aglow.

You are the light of the world.

You – not you, one person with one candle,
but y’all – all y’all,
are the light of the world.

Jesus, the true light that comes into the world,
is the source of your light.

God has lit us, all of us, not for ourselves,
not so that we can take a selfie and admire how brightly our lights shine,
not so that we can compare our own light to another’s,
not even so that we can all see each other better,
but so that others may see!

We are lit not for our own sakes, but for the sake of the world.
Our good works are not for each other,
not to win favor with God,
not to get us into heaven,
but so that others may see, and give glory to God!

Episcopal Archbishop Temple has been famously quoted as saying,
“The Church is the only society that exists
for the benefit of those who are not its members.”
You see, we are the light; and we shine for others.

Friends, this is performative language:
that is, language that creates a reality as it is spoken.
Performative language is when you say “I do” in the wedding,
or when you promise, or baptize, or refuse.

Jesus says, “You are the light of the world,”
and now, because Jesus said it,
y’all, all y’all, ARE the light of the world.

We’re the light, and we’re responsible to keep our candles lit,
because other people need to see,
need to see us,
need to see Jesus.

That sounds way more esoteric than it actually is.
It’s just a matter of keeping the candle lit,
It’s just a matter of not covering up the light,
or snuffing it out, whether it is ours or someone else’s.
We keep the candle lit when we gather for worship,
lifting our voices in song and prayer.

I read an article the other day about how churches the size of ours
are models for discipleship,
and the example the writer used was the way we pray:
“The lay-leader patiently wound around the small sanctuary,
asking every one of the fifty people gathered —
from the toddler to the most elderly —
if they needed prayer about anything.
The congregation was not shy, either.
They prayed, by name, for the teachers of the classes
of their kids and grandkids.
There were vulnerable prayers about faith and mourning,
requests for healing and peace.
… I asked the lay-leader how and why they decided to do prayers like that.
He seemed surprised by the question,
as if I had asked about a basic pillar of the faith.
“Everyone needs to have a chance to be heard.
Prayer is really powerful,
and we want to make sure everyone gets prayed for.”

We keep the candle lit with our children and youth,
inviting them into the great sweep of the Biblical narrative,
helping them to claim their place in God’s story,
welcoming their questions and sitting with them in their uncertainty.

We keep the candle lit with ecumenical participation in the community,
with Community Vacation Bible school, and UNITE,
demonstrating so powerfully that we really ARE one in the Spirit.
When eight different churches representing five denominations
can work together in ministry year after year,
that’s a foretaste of the Kingdom of Heaven!

We keep the candle lit when we gather for adult Bible study,
not just so that we are edified,
but so that we can engage others in conversations about our faith,
and, when they ask questions, as one person said,
“not stumble and stutter, but feel like I know what I’m talking about.”

We keep the candle lit by the resources and hours we commit to missions,
not only helping the recipients,
but signifying by word and deed the generosity and love of God.

This light is God’s light, and it cannot be extinguished.
It is set up high on a lampstand, giving light to all the house.
It is a city on a hill, shining though the night may be falling,
a guiding light “like the light of dawn,
which shines brighter and brighter until full day.”

When John Galt picked up his candle,
his share in the illumination of the meeting,
when he picked it up and went out the door,
he could not have known that 175 years later,
Presbyterians would still be gathering in Sterling, Illinois,
to worship and serve and love the world
He could not have imagined that so many generations later,
we would still be here,
to share God’s grace with radical hospitality that welcomes ALL people
and invites them to bring their lights to join ours,
to illuminate the world so that things can be seen as they are,
to brighten the path so that people can find a way to faith.

He could not have known – but perhaps he did know,
and perhaps he had faith that through God’s power in Jesus Christ,
Presbyterians would still be here,
generation after generation, keeping the candle lit.

In the same way, let your light shine before others,
so that they may see your good works
and give glory to your Father in heaven.

To God alone be the glory! Amen