Being a Lighthouse
Scripture Reading — Leviticus 19:1-18
“Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the Lord.”
Leviticus 19:14
God’s rescue mission doesn’t depend on words alone. Grace also shines through holy living. Israel was to be a brilliant beacon of “the good life” in a neighborhood where nations were steeped in idolatry, deception, cruelty, and vanity. That’s why many of the commands in Leviticus 19 are punctuated by the statement “I am the Lord your God.” To be his lighthouse, our candlepower must pass through the lens of God’s love to shine on our neighbors—including the poor, the blind, the foreigner, the laborer, and the elderly.
Throughout biblical history, people have been drawn to this light—Jethro, Rahab, Ruth, Uriah, the Queen of Sheba, Naaman, and many more.
In seaside lighthouses that’s what Fresnel lenses were designed to do—to bend all available light to the horizontal so that it can be seen and save lives. A Fresnel lens has concentric rings cut around a bull’s-eye, each ring a prism focusing the light to a narrow beam that can be seen for twenty miles or more. Imagine each command in Leviticus 19 being like a prism beaming holy light to our world’s horizon, declaring, “I am the Lord your God.”
Trying to fit in with the world will only get us lost. And building high walls around our lives will only block the light we were meant to share.
How does your light shine?
Lord Jesus, make us into lighthouses so that the lost can find their way home. In your name, Amen.
About the author — Norm Prenger
Rev. Norm Prenger is a graduate of Calvin Theological Seminary. He pastored churches in Alberta and British Columbia before he was disabled by a heart attack and a post-operative stroke. He now lives with his wife, Gwen, near Thunder Bay, Ontario. He enjoys fishing, writing, drumming, and encouraging his fishing partners and neighbors to follow Jesus.
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