Devotionals by Dr. M. Craig Barnes
He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. --
Every time I go to visit a parishioner in the hospital, I pass physicians and nurses in the hall who are busy about the task of helping people get better. They wear jackets and uniforms that say, "I mean serious business." They carry clipboards with important things written on them. They've got things slung around their necks, things sticking out of their pockets, and trays filled with the most wonderful medications. The pastor has none of these tools.
When I was a younger pastor, I wished I had a bag filled with things that could take away people's pain. But over the years I have learned what the best doctors and nurses have always known--there is a time for approaching a person with empty hands. Our empty hands say, "I am here only to give you back to God."
When people are struggling through a dark time in life, what they most need it to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel. According to John's gospel, we are not that light. The temptation to be light is tremendous, but nothing will prevent your loved ones from seeing their true hope more than your efforts at being their savior.
Sometimes we are asked to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ doing his work and speaking his words of hope. But at other times the best ministry we can offer people is to get out of the way of the light, and pray that they see it.
-- Craig Barnes