In his book Christ in Crisis, Jim Wallis says that the church has often failed to let its light shine. It has, he says, failed to speak out against injustice, racism, and poverty—and, too often, it has “passed by on the other side,” like the priest and Levite in Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).

As the church, we do well to listen closely to Jesus when he calls each of us to let our light shine so that God, our Father, may be glorified.

Does your church do everything it can to let its light shine? Do we go out of our way to speak out, and do we do everything we can to reach out to people who are struggling, or oppressed, or persecuted, or needing God’s love and help in some other way? There are so many needs and so many opportunities—not just in other countries but also in our own neighborhoods and communities.

In his book God Came Near, Max Lucado tells a story about four candles in a closet that refused to come out to bring light during a power outage. One candle needed more time to get ready. One candle said that giving light was not her gift. Another was too busy, and the other didn’t feel qualified.

What’s our excuse?