On Saturday afternoon, a one thousand footer steamed past Tofte Park quite close to shore. I knew the big ore carrier could handle much rougher seas than we had on Saturday, but it nevertheless must have been chilly standing out on its deck in the cold north easterly wind. Watching that big boat pass reminded me of one of my current favorite movies, “The Finest Hours.”
The film recounts the rescue of 32 sailors from the tanker Pendleton in 1952. Off the coast of New England, Coast Guardsman Bernie Webber and the small crew of his 36 foot motorized lifeboat struck out during one of the biggest nor’easters of the mid 20th century. In the film (spoiler alert) the small boat’s compass is shattered and the small harbor town of Chatham loses power during the storm. Webber is lost with no way to know which way is home in the driving rain and howling wind. On land, the townspeople are desperate to help guide him in when they decide to line their cars up along the seawall and shine their headlights into the darkness.
This past Sunday, we read from the 41st chapter of the prophet Isaiah and the first chapter of the Gospel according to John.
The prophet declares that Messiah will give “the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” While oil had a number of uses in the ancient world, one of its most important uses was for light. Lamps were lit with oil. The festival of Hanukah is the Jewish festival of lights, commemorating ten days when the newly rededicated oil lamps of the temple miraculously continued to burn even though the supply of oil shouldn’t have lasted the night. The power of the God of Israel was on display in opposition to the darkness and despair that the pagan conquerors had imposed on the land.
Ours is also a time of darkness and despair for many. I listen nightly to the stories of health care workers who report the despair inherent in treating victims of COVID-19 who take their final breaths alone and in the terrifying darkness of suffocation as their lungs fill with fluid. And there is darkness and despair amongst those who have lost their incomes, who don’t know how they are going to make ends meet.
John’s prologue is one of the most profound in scripture. In it he describes Jesus as the Word or logos, the life of all that is living, and the light of men. He says, “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.”
I take great comfort in my relationship with Him. Jesus offers hope beyond the grave. This is one way that Jesus is the light. In Matthew’s gospel something interesting happens, though. Jesus turns to his disciples and says, now “you are the light of the world… let your light shine before people, so they can see the good things you do and praise your Father who is in heaven.”
Our communion liturgy includes these words, “Almighty God… enable us to receive him always with thanksgiving and to conform our lives to his.” Conforming our lives to his is what it means to be a follower of Christ. Christians aren’t members of some holier than thou club or political special interest group. The good news is that this light we are called to shine isn’t our light, it’s his. On our own, we can’t hold a candle to his light. But by letting go of ourselves and putting on Christ we become reflectors of powerful light.
My congregation adopted a sort of mission statement a few years ago, to be “a beacon of hope on the North Shore.” One of the ways we do this is by raising donations for our “starfish fund” to help families and individuals in our community who are in need. We’re always looking for someone in need to help and in so doing demonstrate who Jesus is.
Together, like the villagers of Chatham who shone their headlights into the black night when the lighthouse beacon went dark, Christians are called to shine the light of Christ into the howling darkness of our time. Daren Blanck is the Pastor of Zoar Church in Tofte, MN, a Lutheran Congregation in Mission for Christ (LCMC). Pastor Daren holds a BS in Environmental Science from Bemidji State, a MS in Education from UW-Superior, and recently completed his MA in Pastoral Theology from Kingswood University in New Brunswick. In addition he studied theatre in the UK and trained for ministry through the LCMC’s Beyond the River Academy. He’s also a part-time teacher in Silver Bay.
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