JULY 16, 2024
John 8:12
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 1:5
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
On Sunday in our worship service, we sang together Rend Collective’s song My Lighthouse. You know the one whose chorus goes:
My lighthouse
My lighthouse
Shining in the darkness
I will follow You
My lighthouse, my lighthouse
I will trust the promise
You will carry me safe to shore
I love lighthouses, it's something I inherited from my dad, because he loved lighthouses, we would often go places where there were lighthouses and sit on the rocks at the edge of the shore where we could see the lighthouse as we looked out over the rough sea or ocean. Being an east coaster, living in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island we didn't have to travel far to see a lighthouse.
I'm sure most of you have seen a lighthouse, or perhaps climbed the winding stairs to the top of the structure to look out over the choppy waters whose waves would come crashing onto the rocks along the shoreline. In years past, ships, boats, and vessels relied on a lighthouse to warn them of danger and guide them safely to shore.
The lighthouse has been a wonderful theological image for me. Lighthouses make me think about Jesus “the light of all mankind. The light, that John's gospel says, "shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5) Just like a lighthouse, Jesus came to earth to be the constant and never-fading light in our lives, Jesus in John 8:12 puts it this way, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” And we know that His Word is like a lamp that guides us (Psalm 119:105). So, the lighthouse is a wonderful reminder that when we follow Jesus, we may trust his promise that he will light our way and guide us “safe to shore.”
The song we sang Sunday reminds that even in our struggles and doubts, through any storms we may face, we can trust the promise that God will guide us through and lead us to safety, like a lighthouse guiding ships to shore.
May we together,
walk in the light, beautiful light.
Come where the dewdrops of mercy shine bright.
Oh, shine all around us by day and by night.
Jesus, the light of the world.
Amen
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