[Sermon] Being the Light of the World

Jake Lindstrom & Pastor Hector Garfias-Toledo

August 24, 2025 + Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost / Lectionary 21

This week’s “Conversations on the Road” features a dialogue between Pastor Hector and Jake Lindstrom as part of Jake’s Affirmation of Faith journey. Together they reflect on scriptures from Isaiah and Luke, exploring what true worship means, the purpose of Sabbath, and how faith shapes daily life. Jake highlights the challenge and promise of being a “light of the world” (Matthew 5), sharing how he hopes to live out his faith through compassion, service, and authentic witness as he begins college. Pastor Hector affirms that wherever our callings take us—even computer science classrooms—Christians can embody God’s love and care. Their conversation reminds us that faith is not only words or ritual but lived action, extending God’s grace to all people. It is both a celebration of Jake’s growth and a call to the whole congregation to shine Christ’s light in the world.

Sermon Transcript

From YouTube's automatic captions, lightly edited by AI for readability.

Pastor Hector:

All right. And now, Jake, this is the time when you and I are going to have a serious conversation here. I’m afraid when young people come to me with some questions, believe it or not. Grace to you and peace from Abba, Father, Mother, Creator, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our Savior and Lord. And the people of God said, “Amen.”

Amen. That’s right.

So Jake, it has been really a joy to get to know you, and seriously, I remember the day that I saw you right there sitting next to your father, and I was like, “Who are those two guys, you know? Are they coming to check me out or what?” And then, yeah, a few—well, somebody must be doing that today. But a few days later—or a couple of weeks later—I was able to speak with you and your dad, and it was very pleasant for me to know that you had chosen to come to the church.

You grew up, in some ways, here in the church. There were circumstances in life that took you to other places, but you came back. And you came back because, if I remember correctly, you told me that in your life there was that sense that the Spirit was calling you to reconnect with your faith community.

So today we have the passages that we read: the book of Isaiah, and the gospel according to Luke—especially the story of Jesus in the synagogue with a woman and other leaders. As I was saying to the young worshippers, some people thought they were probably better than others and began pointing out and judging people.

You had a chance to read the gospel, and I am wondering: when you were reading, what were some of the things that caught your attention, or that speak to you in your faith journey?

Jake Lindstrom:

Yeah. So, I think the first thing I noticed when I was reading these verses, preparing for today, was kind of a direct overlap between the passage from Isaiah and Luke.

So, you read Isaiah, and I see almost a calling—or a challenge—to this true worship, right? Calling us away from serving our own interests and “pointing of the finger,” those types of things that are talked about in Isaiah. And so as I’m reading, I’m kind of wondering: what does that true worship look like?

So I took a break from Isaiah, went over to our passage in Luke, and I see this perfect example—Luke perfectly answering what we see in Isaiah. We see the Pharisee in the story, kind of pointing the finger. We see Jesus call him out for serving his own interests. And then I look at what it means for this true worship, and I watch what Jesus does. I see his example of serving, of loving, of empathy.

And so I think that’s the first thing that stuck out to me—this overlap of a challenge and an answer in the two verses.

Pastor Hector:

That’s right. I think when I was reading the gospel, I—like you—was thinking: What is Jesus trying to do? Is he just performing a miracle to tell people how bad they are, or is Jesus doing what he did to the woman—restoring her—as a way to remind people what they already have, and are probably missing?

So in your view, how do you think that we, as Christians, as siblings in Christ, can live a life of true worship?

Jake Lindstrom:

Yeah. I’d say the same thing—just watching the example that Jesus gives us. From my perspective, the Pharisee has this really legalistic, rigid point of view on actions and the law. And then we see Jesus approach things with a caring, loving, empathetic point of view. That’s the example I think is important—to have that mindset. Not the rigid one, but focusing on love, care, serving, and helping others.

Pastor Hector:

Do you think that sometimes in church we can get to that point of being legalistic or rigid?

Jake Lindstrom:

One hundred percent, yeah.

Pastor Hector:

Can you think of anything? I don’t want to put you on the spot, but we can hear, right? We’re away. Okay, go ahead.

Jake Lindstrom:

Um… it’s hard for me to think of certain examples, but I feel like it can happen all the time—not just in the church, but at any point in our lives, even subconsciously—where we try to pass blame or call people out. Like the passage in Isaiah says: “pointing of the finger.”

I think that happens all the time. I’m guilty of it, of course. It’s very prominent. And that’s what I see in these scriptures—a calling away from that, towards a loving and caring way instead.

Pastor Hector:

Yeah, I know that. I was thinking about that too. Sometimes in our desire to try to be true worshippers, we take it so personally that we start turning inward.

As I was saying earlier to the young worshippers—seriously—when I come to Trinity and I see two young girls leading me, it’s like, “Well, I was an associate to the bishop in Chicago. I know how to do this, you know.” But I was reminded very easily how sometimes, in trying to be true worshippers, to live our spiritual lives, we start making our way the only way. And if anybody differs from us, the pointing finger and judgment come very easily—in churches too, and among pastors too.

Yeah.

What do you think is the—oh, maybe you have a question for me too? You can try me too.

Jake Lindstrom:

Yeah, sure. Kind of leading away from what we were just talking about, I guess, but the main question I have is this: we see in Isaiah lots of talk about the Sabbath—“not trampling the Sabbath, keeping the Sabbath holy.” And then in the passage from Luke, we see Jesus doing works on the Sabbath.

So my question is: what does it mean to keep the Sabbath holy? What does it mean to keep the Sabbath? Do you have any thoughts on that?

Pastor Hector:

Boy, I shouldn’t have asked Jake to ask me a question.

I think, Jake, the idea of Sabbath has been evolving through the years in my journey. I grew up—and I think I shared this with some of you—in a congregation that unfortunately became very legalistic, very rigid.

I remember there was a time when, in their desire to fully devote to God, we were told that on a Sunday we could not watch TV after the worship service—because Sundays are for the Lord, and watching TV was something that distracted us from worshiping God. I mean, to that level. That started creating in me the idea that Sabbath was about not doing anything. And by not doing anything, I was proving how perfect I was in keeping the law—or God’s rules for us.

As I got older, and then married, and had family and responsibilities, well, it was like: “I don’t think I can do nothing on Sundays. I need to do stuff. Do you have to do stuff today, my siblings? So, are we not keeping the Sabbath then?”

I started to learn that Sabbath goes back to what you were saying earlier, Jake—which is really a relational part of our lives with God and with one another. Sabbath is, for me, even though we may work on a Sunday or a Saturday—or whatever day we keep as Sabbath, or even during the week—we can still have a Sabbath.

And that is when we intentionally reflect on what the prophet Isaiah is saying: you are like a garden, you already have the blessing of God, you are special for the purpose I have for this world. And to believe those words—because in believing those words I feel challenged not to look only toward myself, but to see that I am part of something bigger that God is doing. Something that allows me to relate to people in a personal and deeper way.

And that can be not only on Sunday, but Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday—every day, any time. That’s what has led me to say: when we are here at church, let’s be church. Let’s worship—when? All the time. That’s how I’ve been evolving in understanding the Sabbath.

And here in the gospel, one of the things I see is this: if you notice, the Pharisees—when Jesus is saying, “Come on, guys, you have a donkey, right?” Oh yeah. “What do you do when the donkey is thirsty on a Sabbath? Do you leave it there to die?” They said, “No, you untie the animal—the ox, the donkey—and take it to drink water.”

How come you cannot apply the same type of compassion to a person who needs your support, your love, your care? It’s not that you don’t know it—it’s that you are very selective about who you want to be compassionate toward. And that’s the challenge: that Sabbath is not about doing or not doing, but a way of life.

Do I answer your question?

Jake Lindstrom:

Yeah.

Pastor Hector:

Okay, that’s great. Jake, so when you look at the passage, what do you think is the good news for you—the news that brings life to you and hope as you move forward in your journey?

Jake Lindstrom:

I think there are a couple of things. Starting in Isaiah, like you said, with the watering of the garden—it’s almost hopeful. We can see that we can continue to grow just like a plant does. You know, it’s not all at once, but it’s over time. So to me, that’s really reassuring—that I have growth I can continue to look forward to with God.

So that’s one thing that is really reassuring to me. And then in Luke, just again this care that we see—I think that really extends even beyond just that one instance. We know Jesus cares for us, we know he loves us, and he desires to help us through our challenges and be with us. I think that’s really promising, really reassuring.

Pastor Hector:

You are preparing to go to college too. And in our conversations, you were telling me about the major you are pursuing. I remember we were talking and you said you are going to study… computer science.

And Jake asked me, “How can I be a witness in such an area of knowledge? Can we be witnesses even when we study computer science?”

What do you think?

Jake Lindstrom:

That’s honestly still something I’ve been thinking a lot about. I don’t know—it’s a tough question.

I just think I go back to Isaiah, and I see what we’re being called to do. First, we’re called to serve others, we’re called to give to others—but it’s really a call to true worship. And as we see again in Luke, what that is, is this love and this care.

And that can extend to anything—whether I’m doing whatever that may look like for me in computer science—but just coming at things with a sense of love and care. And I think that can be applied to everyone, anywhere. No matter what you’re doing, even if it has nothing to do with what you think your faith might be, you can extend love and care when you can—always, to everybody. Like you said, not just to people it might be easier to be compassionate toward, but to everybody.

Pastor Hector:

Exactly. You are not going too far to college. You will be around here.

And I told Jake, “Can you imagine if one day somebody comes and tells me, ‘Well, I came to have a relationship with Jesus because there was this guy—I think Jake is his name—who down there at UW told me about how Jesus invites you to love others’?”

I said: if you are an engineer in computer science, you are also a witness to Jesus in loving and caring. Doesn’t matter—you’ll be talking about math and other things that I don’t even know, but you can still be that witness, that presence, that extension of God’s compassion.

And I invite you to do that, Jake. It has been really a blessing for me to get to know you.

For those of you who may not know, Jake came and joined the NET—not a program, I don’t like to call it a program. I like to call it more like a journey for our youth. And he integrated with our youth here.

I had a couple of chances to play with them, and I never wanted to play against him. I wanted to play—but what I didn’t notice is, I didn’t want to play against Casey either. One day we were on opposite teams, right, Casey? She was going after me! I noticed it a couple of times. She got me on the ground! And that’s how I’m going to remember you both.

As you go to college, remember that you are an extension of the grace and the mercy of the Lord. And in living that way, you will find life and meaning, and you will be reminded constantly—as I said earlier—that God has given you the gift of being special for what God wants to do through you.

So Jake, as you prepare for this journey, you’re also coming to the end of your affirmation of faith journey. And you want to share with us, as a congregation, your statement of faith.

You have chosen a specific passage in the Bible—another gospel. The Gospel of Matthew… 13, if I’m correct?

Jake Lindstrom:

Five.

Pastor Hector:

Five. Close enough. Okay. I don’t know why I get to 13—it’s Luke 13, that’s why!

Jake Lindstrom:

That’s right.

Pastor Hector:

Yes. Thank you. So, if you could share with us, Jake, your statement of faith.

Jake Lindstrom:

Yeah. Um, first I’ll reintroduce myself to everybody. I know a lot of you, but my name is Jake. I just graduated from Edmonds-Woodway High School and will head off to UW, as we talked about.

I really appreciate all of you for welcoming me this past year into this congregation. It means a lot.

So, the reason I chose this verse—being somebody my age, around high school/college time—I honestly see a lot of misrepresentation of what it means to be a Christian, what it means to be a follower of Christ. And also a lot of misunderstanding that stems from that misrepresentation.

A lot of people who claim to be Christians at my age go off, they party, they drink—all those kinds of things. I’m sure that happens at all ages, but speaking from my perspective, I see it a lot.

So, I think a really big part of my faith, and something that’s really important to me in my recent journey, is trying to be that good representation—trying to be somebody who can be a positive light.

The verse in Matthew says: “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.”

And I think that’s a direct calling to me—and to all of you as well.

So what does that mean? What does it mean to be the light of the world? What does it mean to spread our light? Our faith is similar to this light in the way that it’s outspreading. It’s infectious almost. It spreads to the entire house, to everything. It doesn’t shy away from certain corners, shy away from certain areas—it’s everywhere.

It’s noticeable. It’s radiating. It’s not focused on ourselves. You know, you put a bowl over a candle and it shines just on itself, but when you take it off, it shines to others. It spreads outward.

So for me, being the light of the world is acting out on that faith. It’s spreading my faith.

And that looks like a lot of things. First, I go to the scriptures we read today, and I look at what Jesus does. Anytime I have questions, that’s what I look at. Preparing for our conversation today, that’s what I was looking at. And I see—as we talked about—he’s loving, he’s caring. And he doesn’t just love, he doesn’t just care, but he acts on it.

We see him go to this woman. We see him heal this woman. He uses his empathy, his love—and he does something about it.

And I think that’s exactly how I want to live my life: as a positive representation to others, acting on my faith, acting on my love for others.

Not just—well, I’ll go back to what I see people my age doing—posting Bible verses on social media, wearing a cross. Not just that, but direct action, as we see Jesus do. Direct care. Direct love.

I also look at the verse from Isaiah, and I see that it’s calling us away from speaking evil and pointing the finger. And that’s also something I see a lot today—calling people out, passing blame—as we talked about, Pastor. And that’s something in my faith that I really want to put an emphasis on staying away from.

Instead, as Isaiah also says, it could look like offering food to the hungry, satisfying the needs of the afflicted. And that feels like a direct calling to all of us—to really act on our faith.

So yeah, just to summarize, I chose this verse because of the calling it gives us—what it’s telling us to do. Not just to claim to be a follower of Christ, but to actually act on it, to spread that to others—our love and our faith.

And so, I’ll end with a kind of challenge to you. I think everybody should think about some ways they can be that light.

And I know some of you that I’ve gotten close with this past year have already done that for me. A lot of you have really helped me to grow in my faith through welcoming me and showing me love.

But think about ways—not just thoughts, not just saying you’re going to care for somebody—but really steps you can take, just as we see Jesus do.

And finally, I think a part of being that light, of spreading to others, is encouraging others to do the same. Caring for others, but then also leading others to care—being an extension of that care, like a “pay it forward.” You start, and then it keeps going and keeps going.

So, how can we be an inspiration of this calling of Jesus? I think that’s really important.

Pastor Hector:

So, thank you, Jake.