Greetings my brothers and sisters in Christ.
It is my pleasure to share a reflection I have entitled “Christianity on a shelf”. But first a bit about myself. My name is Nui O’Malley, and I am married to Lisa (35 years and counting) and we have four daughters and two grandchildren. We have been members of the Hawkes Bay branch of the Lamb of God community in New Zealand now for 20 plus years based in Napier. Our branch is small but has had a diverse and rich history with many members in the past a few who are now with the Lord. We meet usually on a Monday night and the life of community has blessed us both abundantly.
The Holy Spirit has been at work for some time allowing me to digest his promptings breaking down the message that He wants new growth in our lives. It is with some relief as I have been struggling lately with his call and have been experiencing a bit of time in the desert so let’s start with the following Scripture:
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.”
Matthew 5:14-15 (ESV Version)
We are called to shine the light of Christ in a hurting world full of darkness and for some this year has really had its ups and downs where we have experienced losing a loved one(s), faced illness, loss of employment or simply just struggling from the pressures of day to day living in the world around us. Turning to Christ can in some cases be harder than ever and over time we make allowances, put in safeguards and so this is what this article touches on.
Christianity on a shelf, what does that mean? It means at some point(s) in our life we make compromises, decisions and we place limits on ourselves and on God (which I will touch on later). First, we have to go back a few years, in my case to 1985. My girlfriend at the time (incidentally who is now my wife) gave me a special cup as a present. On it is the character Garfield the cat holding a large sandwich with the word Snackathon. I have treasured this cup over the years, and it has held a lot of coffee in its time and as it was a gift I paid special attention making sure it was looked after. However, as the years have gone on, I have found myself putting the cup to the back of the drawer to protect it from chips or getting broken and now only use it occasionally.
The cup can be a symbol of my Christian journey where being baptised in the Holy Spirit I felt alive, the message was new, just like that cup. I wanted it to be seen and at times my cup was overflowing with the goodness of life and it seemed to be easy to show my faith, the message of Christ, living in a vibrant community, and active in church life. Blessings seemed to be abundant. My cup was out on show being used often. This is the first compromise: when things are good, we sometimes make the decision that we don’t need God, we can do it on our own. This puts a bit of our Christianity away. Then there are the very dark valleys of personal loss, such as the tragic death of my sister, the sudden death of my dad two and a half years ago and dealing with the aftermath. Personal addictions and the sin that entered my life causing further hurt. I made some very big compromises and sadly the more I made them the harder it got. Questions like “Why God did this happen?” “I’m not ready to face this”. I retreated back with another part hidden away.
Friends the Lord is so good. Even though I made these compromises never during these times did my saviour ever leave me. He gave me the strength to live each day and move forward. I wanted to protect my faith and chose to put my Christianity on a shelf, wrapping it up in cotton wool, making it comfortable so that it or me didn’t get chipped or damaged. He wanted the opposite.
My friends, our Lord chose to die for us so we could shine like that city. Not to hide away his message. During these times he blessed me with so many Scriptures one in particular:
“Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the founder and perfecter of our faith who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising its shame and is seated at the right hand throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:1-2
The message that Christ truly loves me no matter what has given me new strength and he has allowed me to see many visions and pictures highlighting this, challenging me to get this wonderful gift off the shelf! One such vision was of a red and white stripped lighthouse with its light shining above a blanket of thick fog. We are His light in a world covered by a thick fog [sin]. Where our enemy is very active throwing his mud around trying to get it to stick. We see the effects of this, and we are called to be that beacon, shining brightly through the fog anchored to the rock of Christ.
“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
Colossians 2:6-7
“All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless you! They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power, to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendour of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. [The Lord is faithful in all his works.] The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.”
Psalm 145:10-16
My friends let this Christmas and New Year be a special time where we take our Christianity off the shelf, reach out, to the hurting people, Active and non-active members of our community, with our chipped and cracked cups out for all to see let us build up his bright and vibrant city with a message of love, forgiveness, mercy and grace so that it can be seen from all around.
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.”
Isaiah 9:2 [BSB]
May the blessings of Jesus Christ, the love of the God our Father and the boldness of the Spirit be over you all this Christmas and forevermore Amen.
This reflection by Nui O’Malley was first published in The Lamb of God Chronicle Newsletter, December 2024 edition. Used with permission.
Top image credit: Illustration of a Lighthouse beaming a bright light in the night sky, digital artwork © by Kevin Carden at ChristianPhotoshops.com. Used with permission.
Nui O’Malley and his wife Lisa are members of the Lamb of God Community in New Zealand. They live in Napier, New Zealand.