Navigation
Originally scheduled for May 14
One of the more significant symbols in
Christian art is the lighthouse. Curiously, the lighthouse itself
taken alone is not much help for navigation. What else might you
need?
·
First and foremost, you’re going to
need a chart. You need a protractor to draw the angled line back
from the lighthouse to the position of your ship — but first you’re
going to need a chart.
·
As a matter of fact, one lighthouse
is nice to have but it really helps to have two landmarks. Maybe the
second one isn’t a lighthouse, but it’s gotta be something readily
identifiable that’s already marked on your chart.
·
One thing you’ll find out: the value
of a lighthouse and a chart in a protractor and maybe another
landmark is much greater on a dark and stormy night than a warm and
sunny afternoon.
There are certain parallels here to Christian
life facing communion.
·
We take communion regularly, and it
is often a chance for us to examine ourselves spiritually. But
communion alone is not sufficient; you need that chart, the
Scriptures. And if I may stretch the analogy just a bit, you need
the protractor of prayer as well.
·
You do get two points here; the body
and the blood of Christ. They should cause you to think about your
relationship to your Lord — what he has done for you.
·
And as I’m sure you have found out,
communion often means an awful lot more when you are facing the
crises of life — death, sickness and the things that can happen in
human relations.
There are some images here that we need to
remember as we partake in communion.
·
Like reading the chart, do you read
the Scriptures regularly, using your Bible as a guide to your life?
Do those words mean something?
·
Do you have more than one landmark?
Do you rely on more than one person to guide you in your Christian
walk? Nobody’s perfect; it’s best to have more than one counselor.
·
Have you been through the test with
Christ, the dark and stormy nights of the soul when the world swirls
around you and makes no sense?
If you have, then you know the worth of the
navigational tools given to you to examine yourself, therefore, so
that you might partake in a worthy manner. And if the lighthouses in
your life are flashing warning, take heed.
