New Church Life Mar/Apr 2015 | Page 43

What Is New Church Education and Why Should We Care? Part Two The Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss Jr. Assistant to the Bishop with Oversight of General Church Education I have often been struck by two very similar phrases in Scripture that speak about the Lord and what He expects of us. We hear, “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12, 9:5) That’s not too surprising. We know that the Lord is the Source of all wisdom. We can easily grasp that He came to our world to be a beacon of truth in a very dark and confusing time. But then the Lord turns the tables on us and says in His Sermon on the Mount, “You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14) My own discomfort with these words begins with the thought that I’m not anything like the Lord; those words belong to Him, not me. But there He is telling me that I have something of value to offer. Not only that, but I have a responsibility to share my best understanding and to do things that bring the truth to life, for He says: “Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven