Lamp Light 

“Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,

looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”

Hebrews 12:1-2 

          Those who run races of great distance soon learn that the best way to run the course is to think not about the finish line, but to focus, instead on a reachable goal. For, when fatigue sets in, and the finish line seems still too far away, the temptation to give in and give up begins to tickle your mind and sap your will. So, a good runner will pick out a tree or rock or some point in the distance, and set sight on just on reaching that objective, and when completed, select another and another until the race is done. 

          The writer to the Hebrews understood this concept well.  He knew that faith over the long haul might leave some tired and despondent.  The responsibilities of faith may seem too many and too great.  So, he advised us to “lay aside the weight of sin…and keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.” 

          This has been the impetus behind every great saint, the motivation behind every faithful disciple.  When facing trial or temptation, problem and pain; we can focus on our problems, which will lead only to self-pity.  Or, we may focus on Jesus, which leads to hope and life and love.   

          The choice is ours to make.  This decision will carry us through this life and lead us to another.

Lamp Light 

“John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness,

preaching a baptism of repentance.”

Mark 1:4 

          As the train left the station, a young man stood up and preached “fire and brimstone” from the Shady Grove Station to Metro Center.  Since, this was my first ride on the Metro train in Washington D.C., I thought it odd they offered that kind of service.  My son thought this “street preacher” was horning in on his dad’s job, so elbowed me to get up and take over. 

          Most in-your-face self-appointed prophets make us uncomfortable.  They just don’t seem civilized.  No doubt, I would have felt the same about John, dressed in his camel’s hair tunic.  The difference between my Metro evangelist and John is that you had to go out of your way to hear the Baptizer.  He set up his pulpit in the middle of a desert wilderness that was located nowhere near a metro stop.  You had to walk a long way to get there.  People did; but why?  What were they looking for? 

          I think they were looking for a new beginning, a fresh start, a clean slate.  The changing of a calendar into a New Year reminds us of just how much baggage we carry around; how many regrets, how much guilt, how many disappointments.

          John offered a fresh start, but more than that he would point to one who could show us how to finish.  That’s why scripture remembers John.  He was the first one to say, “Look to Jesus”.  He would not be the last.

Lord, as we begin this new year help us to keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith so that we may see you more clearly, follow you more nearly, and love you more dearly day by day.  Amen