A few years ago, I wrote and delivered a children’s story called, “Christ and the Lighthouse.” The kids were asked to imagine themselves on a ship, lost offshore in a fierce squall. To make the story more realistic, someone in the back of the sanctuary added special effects. In my best storyteller voice, I said:
“It is a dark and stormy night.” (The room becomes dark.) “Lightning flashes across the sky.” (Various lights begin blinking.) “The wind is howling.” (Sounds of a storm fill the room.) “The ship is tossed about.” (Everyone starts swaying from side to side.)
Here is the best part: “Huge waves crash overhead.” (I squirt the children with a spray bottle.)
Can you picture what’s happening? Children are squealing and laughing. There’s total chaos in the room as the storm continues to rage and the children shout with me: “We’re drowning! Help! Who will save us?”
Then, God gives us a miracle.
Sill in my best storyteller voice, I shout: “Look! Up ahead! What’s that?” (In the far corner of the room a light begins to shine.) “It’s a light — from a lighthouse! We’re saved! We were lost and now we are found!”
Wow! What a great lesson. After all, could anything offer more hope and direction to a ship caught in the grip of a fierce storm than the bright, steady beam of light from a lighthouse? What could possibly provide more comfort than that reassuring glow: a light to guide you safely home?
Ships are not the only ones needing a lighthouse as recent newspaper headlines attest:
It is a dark and stormy night — (Violence continues around the world.)
Lightning flashes — (Poverty reaches all time high.)
The wind is howling — (Teenagers face terrorist charges.)
The ship is tossed about — (Divorce rates alarming.)
Huge waves crash overhead — (Flood devastation in Pakistan.)
Can you picture what’s happening? People are crying and dying. There’s total chaos in the world as storms continue to rage. People shout: “We’re drowning! Help! Who will save us?”
Then, God gives us a miracle.
Sill in my best storyteller voice, I shout: “Look! Up ahead! What’s that?” (In the far corner of the world a light begins to shine.) “It’s a light — from a lighthouse! We’re saved! We were lost and now we are found!”
Wow! What a great promise! After all, what could possibly provide more comfort than the reassuring glow of a lighthouse – God’s lighthouse?”
“Lord, you have brought light to my life; my God, you light up my darkness.” (Psalm 18:28) Like a lighthouse, God offers the light of direction to lead me out of darkness.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation – so why should I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1) Like a lighthouse, God offers the light of salvation to rescue us from the storms of life.
“I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (John 8:12) Like a lighthouse, God offers all of us a strong steady light to follow that leads to life.
Have you been experiencing a few dark and stormy nights complete with lightning flashes and howling winds?
Do you often feel like a helpless ship tossed about with huge waves crashing overhead?
Maybe now is the time to turn toward the eternal light:
“Look! Up ahead! What’s that?” (In the quiet corner of your soul a light begins to shine.)
“It’s a light, from The Lighthouse!”
“We’re saved! We were lost and now we are found!”
If you are going through storms –
If you are searching for purpose –
If you are seeking a new ministry –
If you want to deepen your relationship with God –
What could possibly provide more comfort than the reassuring glow of a lighthouse promising to be, “A light to guide you safely home?”
