You are the light of the world. (Matthew 5:14, NIV)
Last December at the PNC Championship, Associated Press writer Doug Ferguson shared a story he wrote in 2005 about the testimony of Bernhard Langer. After hearing it, you’ll likely never watch the Green Jacket ceremony in Butler Cabin without thinking of the faithful German.
It was 1985, and Langer had just stormed to his first major championship title at the Masters. When asked about the first time he looked at the leaderboard, Langer said something along the lines of, “I looked up for the first time after nine holes and I thought I was playing well, but Jesus Christ! Curtis Strange was four shots ahead.”
The fan mail that followed by those who had taken offense startled Langer, who began to dig deeper. Ferguson noted in his story that Bobby Clampett routinely invited Langer to Wednesday night Bible studies on Tour, and after the Butler Cabin incident, Langer decided to take him up on it.
“I thought I was doing all the right things,” Langer, who grew up as a Catholic altar boy, told the Associated Press. “I was taught to be a good person, and if you did good things, God will say you’ve been good enough and you can go to heaven. But that’s not what the Bible says.”
He became a born-again Christian within three months.
Langer, of course, found himself back in Butler Cabin in 1993 on Easter Sunday after winning the Masters for a second time. He told Ferguson that he sometimes jokes that he’s the only one to mention Jesus Christ in Butler Cabin twice.
There are so many beautiful takeaways from this testimony. Langer’s reaction to the criticism wasn’t to shut out the noise and carry on. He desired to better understand why he’d upset so many.
Clampett’s invitation, and his persistence in inviting Langer, resulted in a community where Langer could take the next step of faith. Seeds had been planted long before Langer first stepped into Butler Cabin.
In Luke 10, we find Jesus sending out teams to spread the Gospel.
“He told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.’ Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” – Luke 10:2, NIV
And then, of course, Langer didn’t keep this transformation to himself! Quite the contrary. His testimony was detailed by the Associated Press!
In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus tells us we are to be the light of the world. We are called to shine!
“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand – shine! Keep an open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” – MSG
PRAYER: Father God help us to plant seeds today. Help us find the courage to extend an invitation and share the greatest message the world has ever known.