If you follow the liturgical seasons like I do, you know that we’re now in Ordinary Time, that space between the Christmas Season and Lent. As we encounter him in Scripture, Jesus is now grown and beginning his ministry phase of life. He’s not getting death threats yet, and everything feels shiny and new as he calls his disciples and begins his mission. After all the drama of the Christmas readings, I’m good with a little ordinary time.

And yet – life with Christ is never really ordinary, is it? There’s always something more that God is calling us to, and this phase of Ordinary Time is not about calling the disciples; it’s about our call too.

I hear a call in the First Reading when God says to Isaiah, “It is too little for you to be my servant.” Instead, “I will make you a light to the nations that my salvation may reach to the ends of the Earth.”

What do you make of that? I don’t love the idea of being subservient, but I don’t mind being a servant of God. It puts me in mind of Mary’s response after the angel Gabriel asks her to bear the Christ: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.” Look, if being a servant of God is good enough for Mary, well, it’s good enough for me too.

And yet, God says that it’s not enough. God wants more. What does “more” look like?

If I’m someone’s servant, then all I have to do is what they ask. “Here’s your tea, God. Will there be anything else?” Well, maybe serving God is different than that, but to be a light to the nations — that takes more than simply following directions. That might take a little discernment, a little more intention. How do I act as a light to the nations? The nations are certainly in great need of a light these days.

Does it mean being in the spotlight, or is it more about lightening the burdens of the people around me? Is it about witnessing to the hope and peace and joy that I have because of God? Is it about being present with people like God is present?

Probably it’s a yes to all of these and more. In our Gospel reading, John says that the reason he baptizes is so that people will recognize Christ. I tend to think that our call is the same as John’s. We may not be radical preachers in the wilderness, but we too, by our lives and the ways that we love and serve people, point the way to Christ. Maybe it’s not so much being in the spotlight but, like John, shining a spotlight on Christ so that other people can recognize Christ in their own lives.

God may be sending us to be a light to each other and to other people, but what does God want from us in relationship to God? It is not enough to be God’s servant. It’s clear that God wants something more mutual, more intentional than a servant-master relationship. God wants a partnership, a friendship. God wants to light us up.

To me that begs the question — do I want more too? Do I want to be more than just God’s servant?

Have you ever seen that bumper sticker that says, “My boss is a Jewish carpenter”? Well, besides being kind of theologically problematic, I think it’s limiting. Christ is not my boss. I’ve been in ministry for a number of years now, and so I know that it’s easy for my relationship with God to creep into something merely functional. I noticed that when I first worked in a church. I’d be at Mass on Sunday and wonder, wait — am I worshipping or am I at work? When it’s both, it does take some intentionality to keep my love relationship with God alive. It takes a little discipline with my personal prayer to ensure that God is not just my boss. God wants more, and I want more. Even for people who are not ministers, it’s easy to just go through the motions, to do God’s bidding but not really open and enter into a relationship. But God wants more than mere servitude, and to me, this reading from Isaiah confirms that.

Do you want more too?

I recently saw a t-shirt that says, “Be salty; stay lit.” It’s based on Matthew 5:13-15, which is the Gospel equivalent to what Isaiah says: “You are the salt of the earth. . . You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house.” To me, that tracks. Be salty; stay lit. it’s a pithy, slangy way to say it, but there’s a deep call in it, and I’m here for it.

The only way we can be effective as a light to other people is to allow the light of God to shine through us, and to do that, we need to be in relationship with God, to seek to know God and to allow God to know us. No one is a light to the nations, or to anyone, on their own. God tells Isaiah, “I will make you a light to the nations.” God does the igniting, not us, but we have to be willing to be lit, willing to participate, willing to shine with God.

When I think of Isaiah, Mary, and even John the Baptist, that’s what I see. They may have served God, but they were in deep, intimate relationship with God too. And each one ultimately became a light to the nations (and they continue to shine) — not by their own efforts but by what God did through them. If God’s light is to shine within me, I too need to open myself to intimate, intentional relationship with God. Truly, it’s God who is the light to all nations, and God is a light to me.

So, God wants more from me, and you, than servitude. There’s an invitation here. Will you say yes?

For More Reflection:

For you, what does it mean to serve God?
What does being a light to the nations look like?
What is your relationship with God like as it is now? Do you want more from your relationship with God?
If God wants more from you, what could that be?

By Sister Leslie Keener, CDP

Sister Leslie Keener, CDP is the director of God Space, a vibrant spirituality ministry building community in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. A Sister of Divine Providence, she holds a Master’s in Ministry and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction and Retreats from Creighton University. Sister Leslie guides retreats, offers spiritual direction, and nurtures vocations within her community. Passionate about helping people encounter God in everyday life, she delights in meaningful conversations, dancing, and spicy food along the way.

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