FROM THE PASTOR

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5: 14-16)

In our travels, Gwen and I have spent a good amount of time exploring lighthouses. The Great Lakes have many heralds of hope and safety on their shores. Along with others on different coasts, each one has a different story to tell, as unique as the programmed signal of its own light. Thus, every lighthouse possesses a personality of its own and a gift to share with travelers and inhabitants of both land and sea.

Some things we have learned include: 1) Every lighthouse has its uniquely programmed signal so that mariners on the water know exactly which light they are observing and can estimate how far they are from the next lighthouse up the coast. It is a form of navigation that supplements today’s GPS systems on ships. 2) Most lighthouse light bulbs today are electric LED bulbs in a 150 or 250 watt capacity, and are about the size of an adult index figure. The glass cylindrical encasements around the light bulb contain hundreds of prisms which magnify the light’s intensity, and are roughly 10 minches tall and 6-7 inches wide. 3) The intensity of this bulb in conjunction with the prisms can be seen by boats and ships up to 13 miles out on the water; the distance only limited by the curvature of the earth. A captain whose height is elevated above the ship in the pilot house might be able to see the light at a distance of up to 18 miles.

The last two facts about lighthouses astound me. Such a small lamp, yet this lamp is able to reach out way beyond itself to lead, guide, comfort, and encourage the traveler in the dark. And yet is this not also the very description of a Christian who, as Jesus says, “is the light of the world?”

Think about it. We each possess a unique personality and unique gifts by which the Holy Spirit, working in and through us, magnifies in the life of the world. We are the light of the world called to reach way out beyond ourselves to lead, guide, comfort, and encourage one another in faith and life. Our message is uniform in the proclamation of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the Light of the World who guides us through the night on our journey through calm or stormy seas to the eternal light of the Kingdom of God. But like Christ’s light, our lights shine for both friend and stranger in the unique locales of life with friends, family, community, and church. Like each lighthouse, we have our own story to tell which has been shaped by our experience in life and the upbringing of faith. It may seem that our lights are small in thisbig world, but place them all together with Christ, the Light of the World, and darkness is greatly dispelled.

And yet there is one more thing to consider about lighthouses…each one is powered by electricity. It used to be a burning candle or oil lamp that needed the hands of the keeper to replenish its fuel to keep it going. In either case, there is a power source that is necessary to keep the light burning. In the case of a Christian, our light is powered through the use of the means of grace. That is to say, through regular worship, study of scripture, prayer, confession and forgiveness, and the Holy Sacraments, we receive the power from on high to shine brightly as God’s children in the life of the world. We, as individuals, are each like a battery that runs out of power and dims or douses our light when we do not plug into the very grace of God on a regular basis. It can be likened to the red hot coal that is removed from the fire and placed on the outer edge of the fire pit. It gradually fades in its cooling off, but once placed back in the fire, becomes glowing red again.

Leaving our summer Sabbath behind, the autumn activities in the life of the church plug us back into the power and rhythm of God’s Kingdom, and into his purposes of bringing light and life into a darkened world. Whether you see yourself as plugged in as described, or sitting on the edge of the fire pit cooling off, the power source in Christ is always present for us to partake of. I pray as your pastor that this call to be powered up in Christ would be taken advantage of by all of God’s people in the coming weeks and months in the life of our congregations. May it be so. Amen

Pastor Steiner