A few years ago, I created a children's story called, "Christ and the Lighthouse." The kids were asked to imagine themselves on a ship, lost offshore in a fierce squall. To make the story more realistic, we added special effects. In my best storyteller voice, I said:

It is a dark and stormy night ... (The room becomes dark.)

  • Lightning flashes ... (Various lights begin blinking.)

  • The wind is howling ... (Sounds of a storm fill the room.)

  • The ship is tossed about ... (Everyone starts swaying from side to side.

    • "Look! Up ahead! What's that?"

Here is the best part:

  • Huge waves crash overhead ... (Using a spray bottle I start squirting.)

Can you picture what's happening? Children are squealing and laughing. There's total chaos in the room as the storm continues to rage. We shout: "We're drowning! Help! Who will save us?"

Then God gives us a miracle. Sill in my best storyteller voice, I shout: Look ... Up ahead! What's that? (In the far corner of the room a light begins to shine.) "It's a light ... from a lighthouse! We're saved! We were lost and now we are found!"

Wow! What a great children's lesson. After all, could anything offer more hope and direction to a ship caught in the grip of a fierce thunderstorm than the bright, steady beam of light from a lighthouse? What could possibly provide more comfort than the reassuring glow of a lighthouse promising to be, "A light to guide you safely home?"

Ships are not the only ones needing a lighthouse as recent newspaper headlines attest:

  • It is a dark and stormy night ... (Violence continues in Iraq ...)

  • Lightning flashes ... (Aids hits 25 year mark: 65 million infected ...)

  • The wind is howling ... (Teenagers face terrorist charges ...)

  • The ship is tossed about ... (Divorce rates at all-time high ...)

  • Huge waves crash overhead ... (Devastation blues: Destruction long after Katrina ...)

Can you picture what's happening? People are crying and dying. There's total chaos in the world as storms continue to rage. We shout: "We're drowning! Help! Who will save us?"

Then God gives us a miracle. Still in my best storyteller voice, I shout to anyone who will hear: Look ... Up ahead! What's that? (In the far corner of the world a light begins to shine.) It's a light ... from a lighthouse! We're saved! We were lost and now we are found! Wow! What a great promise! After all, what could possibly provide more comfort than the reassuring glow of a lighthouse promising to be, "A light to guide you safely home?"

  • Lord, you have brought "light" to my life; my God, you "light" up my darkness. (Psalm 18:28) Like a lighthouse ... God offers the light of direction to lead me out of the darkness.

  • The Lord is my "light" and my salvation — so why should I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1) Like a lighthouse ... God offers the light of salvation to rescue you from the storms of life.

  • Jesus said, "I am the "light" of the world. If you follow me, you won't be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the "light" that leads to life." (John 8:12) Like a lighthouse ... God offers all of us a strong steady light to follow that leads to life.

Have you been experiencing a few dark and stormy nights complete with lightning flashes and howling winds?

Do you often feel like a helpless ship tossed about with huge waves crashing overhead?

Maybe now is the time to turn toward the eternal light: "Look! Up ahead! What's that? (In the far corner of your soul a light begins to shine.) It's a light ... from a lighthouse! We're saved! We were lost and now we are found! What could possibly provide more comfort than the reassuring glow of a lighthouse promising to be, "A light to guide you safely home?"