Philippians 2:1-18
When I was baptized in the pure clear water of the Satilla after I joined the church there was a song that I wanted sung at the close of the service. The title of the song was “Let The Lower Lights Be Burning”.
“Brightly beams our Father’s mercy
From His lighthouse evermore,
But to us He gives the keeping
Of the lights along the shore.
Dark the night of sin has settled,
Loud the angry billows roar;
Eager eyes are watching, longing,
For the lights along the shore.
Trim your feeble lamp, my brother!
Some poor sailor tempest tossed,
Trying now to make the harbor,
In the darkness may be lost.
Let the lower lights be burning!
Send a gleam across the wave!
Some poor fainting, struggling seaman
You may rescue, you may save.”
As I read the text from Philippians my mind was drawn back to why I chose that song to be sung and I’d like to talk about that a few minutes if y’all will let me.
Towards the end of our selected verses Paul is encouraging the believers at Philippi (and us) to be lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation. Well that’s a pretty tall order Paul. You better give me some fuel for my light.
He tells them how Christ left his exalted place by God to come to earth to be a servant to us. How did he serve while He was here? He was obedient to God. He taught His followers to love God and love your neighbor. He got down on His knees and washed the disciples’ feet. He fed them with fish and bread. He died on the cross for our sins. And when He did this, He wasn’t looking to promote Himself. He was doing it to bring honor and praise to God. He wanted “Thy will be done”. In relating the text from Philippians to the hymn I mentioned earlier, Christ light is going out like a lighthouse. A light that is seen from anywhere.
Well I’m just a man/woman/child. I can’t burn as bright as Christ. Let’s look at the song text to help close us out.
Imagine a sailor is sailing the sea. And the sea is perpetually dark. The only light that is seen is a great distance away. So the sailor in his ship sails towards the light. It’s all it can see. As the ship gets closer to the shore he starts to see smaller lights. These smaller lights show a rocky coast. So the sailor adjusts his course and lands safely on a sandy patch of beach. He gets out and starts walking toward the great light he sees. As he walks he sees other lights that illuminate his path and keeps him from getting into trouble. He keeps following those smaller lights until he reaches that biggest light. He couldn’t have gotten there without those smaller lights.
I’ve said a lot just to get to this point and I apologize for the wordiness.
When we are going about God’s business while here on earth we are holding forth a small light that may help a lost sailor get to safety. So we must keep our lanterns trimmed and ready to shine at all times. How do we do this? We must have the mind of Christ; we must strive to obey God through everything that we do and love others more than we love ourselves.
It’s my prayer that we can be a light to someone to help them along.
Riley Lee