Let Us Be Your Light

As a composer, I am occasionally asked to write commissioned anthems. Sometimes an anthem is written to commemorate a church's anniversary or to honor a church staff member. But in early 2009, I was asked to consider writing a commissioned anthem for the relocation of First Baptist, Killeen - my own home church. What an honor that was! I prayed about it and felt that the Lord was indeed leading me to write the anthem.

After spending a lot of time in thought and prayer, I kept being drawn to the theme of Light. There are many passages in the Bible that refer to light. JESUS Himself is referred to as "the Light of the world," "the Light of life," and "the Light in the darkness." And in Matthew 6, we read Jesus' words to believers: "You are the light of the world ... Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." I kept these passages in mind as I wrote the lyrics, and gave it the title "Let Us be Your Light."

My prayer for our church was twofold. First, I prayed that the new building would be like a beacon of light, drawing people to Christ. But, even more importantly, I prayed that we - the CHURCH - would shine as lights for Jesus. He is the only true Light, and the only hope for the world. The world needs to see Jesus' light shining through us, through His Holy Spirit, so that God will get the glory and praise.

This is the main theme of the anthem:

"Let us be Your light that shines in the darkness;
Let us reflect the love that You give.
Let us share the glorious news of salvation:
Jesus died that all might live.
Let us shine as stars in radiant glory,
lighting the way to Your heavenly throne.
Piercing through the night, like a candle burning bright,
Let us be Your light."

When the anthem was finished, I asked an editor friend to write orchestration for it. It was then submitted for publication and was published by Hal Leonard Publishing in November of 2009. It was a privilege and a blessing to be a part of the celebration as we relocated. And it is still my prayer that we will shine as lights for Jesus - in our homes, our work places and our community!