The Lighthouse

 

The Lighthouse

 

Luke 9:28-36, (37-43a)

Jesus is transfigured on the mountain 

9:28 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray.

9:29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.

9:30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him.

9:31 They appeared in glory and were speaking about his exodus, which he was about to fulfill in Jerusalem.

9:32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep, but as they awoke they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.

9:33 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us set up three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah," not realizing what he was saying.

9:34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were terrified as they entered the cloud.

9:35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!"

9:36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

9:37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him.

9:38 Just then a man from the crowd shouted, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child.

9:39 Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him.

9:40 I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not."

9:41 Jesus answered, "You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here."

9:42 While he was being brought forward, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.

9:43a And all were astounded at the greatness of God.

Every time I read any of the scriptures about Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, I think of this gospel song that I first heard sung by the gospel quartet, The Couriers, who used to make guest appearances at our church:

The Lighthouse (by Ronnie Hinson)

 

There's a lighthouse on the hillside
That overlooks life's sea
When I'm tossed, it sends out a light
That I might see
And the light that shines in darkness now
Will safely lead us o'er
If it wasn't for the lighthouse
My ship would be no more

 

It seems that every one about us says,
Tear that old lighthouse down
The big ships just don't pass this way anymore
So there's no use in standin' round.
Then my mind goes back to that one dark, stormy night
When just in time I saw the light
Yes, it was the light from that old lighthouse
That stands up there on the hill

 

And I thank God for the lighthouse
I owe my life to Him
Jesus is the lighthouse
And from the rocks of sin
He has shown a light around me
That I might clearly see
If it wasn't for the lighthouse
Tell me where would this ship be

 

Dara has always enjoyed lighthouses. In our parsonage in Coraopolis, which was basically a mansion on “mansion row” on State Avenue, there was a room on the first floor that was decorated in a “ship” motif, and we decided to keep that décor and used it to display our growing lighthouse collection. Most of the little lighthouse statues we had were of ones we had actually visited in our travels. In October of 2020, during COVID, when travel was rather limited, I arranged for us to spend a week in the lighthouse keeper’s house at the Cove Point Lighthouse on the Chesapeake Bay. Cove Point is still a working lighthouse, but is now automated, so the local historical society has renovated the keeper’s house and rents it out. It’s on a private, gated jetty on the bay, so it was a perfect, secluded place to spend a COVID vacation! Lighthouses have long been a symbol of the guiding light of the Son of God, as Hinson’s gospel song attests. There is something romantic and even spiritual about the lighthouse, sending out its beams of light to guide ships, give them their bearings, and keep them from running aground, isn’t there? On our first cruise out of the Port of Baltimore a couple of years after our Cove Point stay, we were able to locate that lighthouse from the deck of the ship as we sailed the Chesapeake toward the Atlantic Ocean. It was cool to see the beam from “our lighthouse” pulsing from the shore of that jetty!

 

We all know that Jesus proclaimed himself the light of the world, and then later “transferred” that light to us, suggesting that WE are the light of the world, as his witnesses. Truth is, we—at best—REFLECT the light of Christ to the world, but nonetheless, we have an opportunity to cast illumination on a world always teetering on darkness and ruin. In the story of the transfiguration, Jesus ACTUALLY GLOWS with the presence of the Living God, a light so bright, so powerful that it attracts not moths, but Moses and Elijah! It’s no wonder that Peter wants to turn the experience into a permanent shrine and just “stay” there. It’s where we get the term, “mountaintop experience,” isn’t it? But of course, the disciples and Jesus DID have to descend from the Mount of Transfiguration, and when they did, the spiritual darkness plaguing the world below hit them in the face, as they encountered the boy with a demon. 

 

None of us likes to come face to face with these kinds of harsh realities. Honestly, it would be nice if our most serious troubles could be neatly wrapped up in some evil spirit that could be “cast out,” affecting a complete healing or cleansing. However, real life is messier than that. Rarely are any of our troubles in manageable, neat packages, and more rarely still are they so easily “cast out.” As a pastor, I have been saddened by how many times a church member or a family has had to deal with layered challenges and complicated, interwoven troubles, be they physical, spiritual, or psychological. WAY too often in our contemporary society we see persons facing serious illness, coupled with inadequate health insurance or a dearth of available medical treatment anywhere near them. And on top of that, there are forces in our government that want to further reduce the healthcare people DO have, thinking it will “save money.” Not only has history shown that nothing could be farther from the truth, but this idea totally lacks compassion for our fellow members of the human community who find themselves in need. Maybe it’s time we think about building fewer bombers or cruise missiles, if we want to save tax dollars, rather than cut off peoples’ Medicare or Medicaid? Talk about a need for transfiguration!

 

There is something peaceful about a lighthouse, and the soft, yet essential light it casts out into the night. Lighthouses are quiet—they don’t make a sound, as they go about their business. And yet, their influence is quite profound, especially if you are a ship floundering on a stormy night near a shoal or a shore you know may be your undoing. Modern lighthouses have LED illumination or even electronic strobe lighting, but I have always enjoyed the rich history of the earlier lighting employed in these life-saving structures. Some lighthouses still use something called a Fresnel lens, which is a layered glass “globe” that results in both amplifying the brightness and narrowly focusing the light created by a bulb at its center. I think the Fresnel lens is a good symbol for the church of Jesus Christ! Are we not called to amplify and focus the life-giving light of Christ to the world, and to shine it in all directions into the darkness of the world? In the history of lighthouses, people were always improving these Fresnel lenses so they would do an even better job of “transmitting” the light of the lighthouse. We are in an era of the church when we, too, have a calling to IMPROVE the way we reflect God’s light, and yet instead, we are engaging in doctrinal “wars,” splits, and disaffiliations. Rather than build a better lens, we are breaking up the beam and scattering the light. God will judge us for this, I fear. 

 

As we ponder the miracle of the Transfiguration of Jesus, may be believe anew in the miracle of the Body of Christ. May we choose to “improve our serve” by building a better lens instead of hoarding our light under a bushel. Unlike modern lighthouses that no longer need keepers to tend them, OUR lighthouse—the church—needs us all, as well as our gathered spiritual gifts. Oh, and lighthouses do not restrict where their light shines, do they? ANY SHIP within eyeshot can see the light and be guided safely to harbor by it. ANY ship. Imagine how pointless it would be to have a lighthouse that could only be seen by certain ships. I just don’t know what some Christians are thinking, in this regard. The light is meant to guide and direct EVERY ship, and the light is not something to “possess” or “guard” like some theological doctrine. The light IS a guard, saving “ships” from crashing into the rocky shores of life. 

 

Years ago I heard an apocryphal story about a radio conversation from an American ship to Canadian authorities. It went like this:

 

Americans: Please divert your course 15 degrees to the North to avoid a collision.

 

Canadians: Recommend you divert YOUR course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.

 

Americans: This is the Captain of a US Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course.

Canadians: No. I say again, you divert YOUR course.

 

Americans: This is the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln, the second largest ship in the United States' Atlantic fleet. We are accompanied by three destroyers, three cruisers and numerous support vessels. I demand that YOU change your course 15 degrees north, that's one five degrees north, or countermeasures will be undertaken to ensure the safety of this ship.

 

Canadians: This is a lighthouse. Your call.

 

There’s a message in this parabolic story for the church. If all we’re doing is throwing our “weight”—our “biblical authority” around—we’re not at all doing the work of shining the light of Christ, abiding by its guidance, and reflecting it to other “ships” that are floundering. WAY too often, in midst of the pointless theological battles and debates swirling around the church, I can hear the steady voice of God from GOD’S anchored-on-the-rock lighthouse returning the message, “Your call.” Amen.