“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.”
Matthew 5:14-15
Born in 1900, my father loved to tell stories of days as a little boy in Baltimore, Maryland. I heard about the first time the Wright Brothers flew their plane over the city. I heard about the first Model-T to chug down Howard Street, scaring all the horses. And I remember Dad’s talking about the old lamplighter.
Every evening at dusk the lamplighter would come down Stricker Street where Daddy lived, carrying a lantern and a pole. He would make his way back and forth across the street, lighting each street lamp. When the lamplighter disappeared into the twilight, you would always know where he had been by the avenue of light left behind.
An old story such as this communicates a fresh truth for present-day lamplighters. As Christians we have the privilege of leaving a long trail of light behind us as we touch for Christ the lives of those around us. Where we go, darkness is dispelled. Where we minister, people see the lighted path we’ve left. Where we love, the Light of the World shines.
“You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.” (Psalm 18:28)
The lesson of the lamplighter is to touch lives one-by-one. Saying and meaning “God bless you” to the bag boy at the supermarket. Telling neighborhood children that Jesus loves them. Listening to the heartfelt pleas of a hurting friend and stopping to pray right there.
May I introduce others to You, the Light of the World, and may their lives be touched with Your glory so that they might leave a trail of light, too.
