What is the picture in your head when you hear the word “beacon”? If you are very savvy about current technology, you may think of something invisible: a way for an app to detect the availability of a person that could be sent a message, most likely an advertisement of some kind.
My idea of a beacon is much more apparent. I think of a light, piercing the darkness to help warn of danger, or to guide someone to a distant destination. A very early example of a beacon was the star that the wise men followed to find Jesus. In Matthew 2: 8-10, we find that these men knew that the star would lead them to something very exciting, a newborn king.
When we think of what it would be like to actually serve as a beacon, we find in Isaiah 30:17 that this can be a very lonely job. When all others flee, we may find ourselves left on the top of a mountain all alone. We may sometimes feel like we are the only one left to stand for what is right.
Recently, I had the opportunity to travel on a cruise ship. For hours at a time, there was nothing but darkness to look at in the distance. When lights appeared, they were encouraging. I knew that there were other people out there somewhere, and that our boat would eventually reach land again.
Often, beacons were used to send a message to others far away. For this purpose, there was usually a series of beacons. Someone lit the first on a mountaintop, and someone on the next mountaintop lit one, and the message proceeded quickly across a vast distance. Of course, for this purpose, everyone needed to first know what the message meant so that they could transmit the news to the next destination. This reminded me of Paul Revere waiting for his message from the North Church: One if by land, and Two if by sea. When he saw the message, he was ready to ride, to deliver an alert about the invading British soldiers.
An innovative way to send a message more effectively was to include a reflector. One small flame could grow larger, and be seen from further away. This technology was used in lighthouses, to guide sea captains to safety. I found a description of a reflector in an account of Reflector Testing written for the U.S. Lighthouse Society by a man named Alan Stevenson. He advised that “If the whole surface appear(s) luminous, the instrument is considered fit for polishing, but if any dark spaces can be found in it, the whole reflector must be again carefully tested.”
Maybe this is the best way for us to be a beacon. Like John the Baptist , we are not the actual Light, but we can bear witness, reflecting the light of our Savior. John 1:8-10. We need to keep our reflectors polished and shiny, so that we may fully reflect the Light of His love.
Yes, it can be lonely to stand tall and spread the message of the Light. But, if we are part of a group of beacons, we can be encouraged, and we can work together to get our message to all those who need to know. Like that old Sunday School song says, we just need to let our own lights shine. When we start to become dim, the other lights around us will prompt us to do our part again. Working together, we can all be His beacons.
Leave a Reply