Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him. Matthew 21:31-32
Today, for some reason, I have thought a great deal about the lighthouse in my mother's town, Cape May Point. People love lighthouses, love climbing them and taking pictures of them. When you live in the town with a light house you know the real impact of one. Night and day it is lit and turns continuously. At night it shines in windows, it flashes on the walls and strikes your face as you sleep. It is a constant reminder of being at the edge - between land and sea, danger and safety, life and death. It is quaint to many, but once completely necessary for the survival of a whole region.
I think of so many, who trust their own scientific and technical skills - our modern day righteousness - and who forget about their relationships and commitments. Many think they can stand alone as long as they have a blackberry,a gps, and a Starbucks nearby. People think of belief as quaint as an unnecessary relic of the past. They might step into a church for Christmas or Easter in order to participate in some quaint holiday, but it has no power for them. They believe in what they know, like many who followed Jesus. The broken people- the poor, the fallen, the sick, the failures - they knew they needed to believe in the love of God that stood before them. They understood how righteousness fails, how skills fall away. They knew God's constancy and love despite their fickle humanity.
Today, I wan to believe completely that God is acting at all times for the good of humanity. Like that lighthouse, constantly vigilant, providing light and a compass in our darkest nights. May we all know that light today, which seeks us out when we are lost and drowning and believe that God is acting for us today.
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