This morning was cloudy and rainy.  Everything appeared drab and gray as the light from the sun was blocked by a thick cloud cover.  Even the moods of people seemed muted and subdued.  Yesterday, in contrast, was a beautiful day with a bright blue sky, a warm yellow sun and trees that were red and gold.  The world seemed to sparkle and vibrate with life and color. People seemed to reflect this light and color-filled world with high energy and warmth.

Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, wrote about what gave light and life—and that was the salvation that God was working both within and with them.  The word that Paul used in describing God and his work was “energy”---that God was the Energizer and the giver of energy to his people, creating both the desire and activity to live out his work in the world.  He described them as “cooperating” with God in His salvation work and encouraged them to be a light in a world of darkness.  The picture he uses here is not of someone carrying a lantern around to light a small area, but of a heavenly body or luminaries that reflected light in the dark of night.  The Philippians were being encouraged by Paul to live in a way that provided people with a glimpse of the living God in the midst of a world marked by curved roads and distorted perspectives.  It was his desire that in reflecting God, a breath of fresh air would be provided to a world suffocating with pollution. 

It is a timeless message—God is still infusing his people with energy and life to reflect light into a dark world.  It is easy to feel blocked from that light, much like the world on a cloudy day.  We are sometimes lost in a fog of a distorted and warped culture, a feeling of lethargy as we go about our lives, and a sense of confusion when things seem meaningless.  Paul is telling both the Philippians and us that we have the energy of God within us—an inner light and an internal spark to continue his work.  He is telling us that we are like the stars in the night, reflecting light from a heavenly source to create a ray of hope in a dark world.  That is a thought that can create an inner light, a warm feeling and a energy to burn, even on a rainy day.