Monday, December 13, 2010

The Metaphor of the Lamplighter #28

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
John 8:12 NKJV

Before the incandescent light bulb existed streets had gas lamps, lit every evening by men known as lamplighters. Every evening without fail the Lamplighter would go down every dark street, stopping at the gaslight fixtures to illuminate them one by one, until reaching the end of the street, his task was completed. Looking down the street, the lamplighter could see the fruit of his efforts: a path well lit because of his personal and faithful attention.

Recently I had occasion to be part of a gathering to celebrate the 50th birthday of a faithful Christian brother. There were many surprise guests, some coming from hundreds of miles away, who had been touched by this man's love, including 11 boys and young men who he had mentored and trained up over the course of more than two decades. One by one these men testified to the impact of this man on their lives.
His life is like the lamplighters of days gone by.
I want to be like that...like Jesus.
My prayer is that the work that the Lord has begun in me, in us all, would make us lamplighters,
to create and leave behind a legacy of light, until the Day He returns!

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