Jesus the Lighthouse: Our "Candle on the Water" - September 30

Today’s Readings:  AM Psalm 101, 109:1-4, 20-30; PM Psalm 119:121-144; Hosea 4:11-19; Acts 21:15-26; Luke 5:27-39

Jesus became sought after as a healer and teacher, and yet in today’s passage from Luke, he broke bread with social pariahs – tax collectors. Tax collectors and their contemporaries were known to take advantage of the poor and did the bidding of the Roman imperial establishment. Complicated, right? The scholars of Jewish law, who took great offense at the actions of tax collectors like Levi, questioned Jesus: Why are you dining with those sinners (who break ancient Jewish law by collecting interest and overcharging our people)? Jesus answered like this: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (5:31-32) The Son of Man loves sinners, as he sees potential for each one to turn their life around and steer in the direction of God’s law, love, and peace.

As Jesus leaned in to healing what ailed and endangered the people of Israel in the Ancient Near East, I am reminded of the image of a lighthouse upon the shoreline of Maine. My childhood friend Brooke married outside of Portland, Maine about 15 years ago. It was late summer and an absolutely lovely setting to spend a few days. While there, we stopped at the oldest lighthouse in the state, built in the late 1700s. Lighthouses don’t pepper the pristine shores of our own Emerald Coast in the Gulf of Mexico, for they are not for show, but for function. When illuminated, lighthouses signal watercraft to look out and turn around…to move away from the light.

The coastline – like sin – is dangerous. The tides push ships toward the rocky crags hiding beneath the surface, and in times of storms and darkness, it is a struggle to stay centered upon the path of safety. It’s a tender balance to navigate, finding just the right distance between the assurance of land and the unpredictability of big water. And so, it is the lighthouse that has historically helped sailors veer away from danger. The towering light illumines their path and points to peril. Crews watch for the light, and then move away from it.

Jesus, as the light of the world, points us toward hope (and away from imminent danger). That is why Jesus drew near to Levi, the tax collectors, and other sinners. He was pointing them toward the Way. When we answer the call, sometimes that means doing what Levi did: drop everything and follow Jesus. Following Jesus can look like other ways of changing course in our lives, too. Maybe in 2020, Jesus the Good Shepherd (and illuminated lighthouse) is guiding us toward saying yes to spending time with a family member who is exhausting. Perhaps it is pursuing a new line of work, or a job in another area of town. Or, going to therapy to address a problem that is not resolving on its own.

Whatever repentance Jesus is calling you to steer toward, I invite you to take heart. Breathe in deeply. Breathe out. Know that you are not alone, and you are God’s dearly beloved. Jesus loves you, a sinner. Jesus sees potential in you, to turn your life around and steer in the direction of God’s love and peace. I am praying for you along this journey. Please pray for me as well.

-- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

Who has been a lighthouse in your life, guiding you to turn away from sin and danger? What sins and stumbling blocks along the shoreline are diminishing the fullness of God’s joy for you today? How might you change course?

Daily Challenge

Big changes are like big waves: overwhelming. Focus on one little change today that draws you closer to God. For example, if you journal, spend one more minute reflecting on God’s revelation in your life. Or, when you pray, spend one more minute holding space for the Holy Spirit to move and empower you. Or perhaps, make one extra phone call to someone you know needs to see the light of Christ.