The Lighthouse

I heard an interesting tale today, a story concerning a lighthouse. And though I don't know who the original source could be, I would like to take a little time and share it with you.

It concerns a lighthouse. Once, the image of safety and security, the lighthouse would shine its brilliant beam across the dark oceans to ward off wayward ships and to guide the lost safely into the harbor. Through storms and fog and all the hazards of the elements, the lighthouse stood strong--a beacon of hope and promise of home.

However, time and change happens to many things and the lighthouse was no exception. For decades--even centuries--it stood in constant vigil against the dark. But modern technologies and new-fangled gadgetry changed the way people looked at the lighthouse and, slowly, the ancient towers were forgotten. Some tried to "modernize" the ancient spires--to make them attractive again for a new generation. Yet ships captains no longer looked to the lighthouse to guide their crafts. Old mariners slipped into history and the new sailor who took his place never considered the lighthouse more than a relic--an ancient reminder of things past.

So, now, the lighthouse is little more than a museum for the wandering tourist, a haven for the nostalgic and nonchalant. The light has dimmed and no beacon shines forth into the vast darkness to guide the lost and wayward.

Why do I tell this tale? Because I fear that the church today faces the same dilemma. Many consider the church to be little more than a relic, an ancient bastion of moral and spiritual illumination that does not fit in with the modern world. Long-standing believers slowly slip into history with very few to fill their place. Some have tried to "modernize" the church, to make it more agreeable to the current culture, in the hopes of attracting the next generation. Others are simply happy to see a goodly amount of tourists stop in for a quick look around.

But, unlike the lighthouses of the past, the church still must be the shining light in a dark world. The church must radiate with all the brilliance of truth and love, holding fast to the knowledge that without its light multitudes will find themselves shipwrecked, broken upon the rocks of sin.

Now is not the time, my friends, to dim the lights. Our world is in ever-increasing darkness and there must be some beacon that still shines - and that beacon is the church. Filled with the power of the Spirit and lit with the fires of faith, the church must continually blaze forth with the Word of God.


Will you allow the culture dictate whether the church is needed? Will you listen to the modern voices that demand no more illumination from the body of Christ? Or will you listen to the ancient voice of Christ Jesus who clearly says, "You are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14).

Faithfully yours,

Michael