This post first appeared in FCC’s blog in August of 2020.
“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. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
As I am writing this on Wednesday, August 26, it has now been 24 hours since Starbucks started selling its (in)famous Pumpkin Spice Latte again as they do every year. Last year, Starbucks launched their pumpkin-flavored goodies on August 27, and the year prior it was August 28. Starbucks’ fall seasonal marketing literally starts earlier and earlier every year.
Another example of this phenomenon of seemingly inappropriate timing for dropping autumn products happened to me this weekend at Bath & Body Works. On Saturday I took a short trip to the beach, and when I got back I noticed signage near the local Bath & Body Works advertising a sale on their fall hand soaps. I tell you guys, It is a strange feeling walking by a pumpkin-scented Bath & Body Works storefront while I’ve got sand in my shoes and I smell of sunscreen.
Here’s the thing, though: I don’t mind it.
I may be in a minority with this take, but my favorite time of year is autumn. The weather trends toward becoming cooler, the world’s smells and tastes are sweetest, the imagery is full of color, and (controversial opinion) the autumn Hallmark movies are superior to the Christmastime ones.
And you’d better believe I waited patiently and eagerly in those long lines to nab a Pumpkin Spice Latte and a Pumpkin Pecan Waffle scented candle.
Starbucks and Bath & Body Works likely did not mean to be, but they were a light to me this week. Anyone with access to the news may have noticed that these past few months of tumultuous current events have not been easy on anyone, and it’s nice having a small bit of comfort in the form of sweet smells and tastes to remind us that life offers more goodness than Facebook, Twitter, and news outlets let on.
We Christians are to act in similar fashion. Oftentimes, the bad stuff in this world is the loudest and most apparent, but the world is crying out for a small bit of goodness and beauty to contrast it. We have the opportunity to be that light they crave. As Christ tells us in the Sermon on the Mount, the good that we do in dark times acts as a bright representation of our Father in heaven. We have a duty to be the “light of the world,” “the salt of the earth,” and “the town built on a hill.”
I certainly wasn’t expecting the flavors of autumn to befall me so early this year, but I am glad that they did. While the world is expecting more and more bad news, we can be that good and beautiful light they aren’t expecting contrasting the darkness.
Bible Reading: Take a few minutes to read over Matthew 5:3-16. Pray, meditate, and listen to what actions God has in store for you as you be light for a dark world.
-Travis Morrill
Communications and Facilities Administrator at Friends Community Church