New Landmarks

 

Did you ever go back to the street of your childhood home?  If you hadn’t been there since you were a child, you might not have anticipated that things might be a little different.  For example, that little tree that was home base when you played tag might not be so little anymore, or it might not even be there anymore.  That empty lot at the end of the street might have a house on it now.  That red wooden picket fence surrounding your old neighbor’s yard might not be red anymore.  In fact, it might not be made of wood any longer. 

Things change.  So suddenly what was once familiar and could be counted on is no longer there.  In fact, trying to navigate your way around what was once familiar might be very challenging.  Old landmarks and old points of reference must be replaced by something new and easily recognizable.  We need new light.  We need new salt.  We need new houses on the hill.

The Eternal Truth, which is God, particularly in the person of Jesus Christ, never changes.  For he is the Alpha and the Omega – the beginning and the end.  He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  What once pointed us to him might seem unrecognizable now.  Our culture changes, and so we need new salt.  We need a new light, not hidden under a bushel basket.  When we look up at the hill, we need a new house. 

The world is a different place than when most of us grew up.  What was once recognizable has been transfigured into what often seems to be an upside-down culture.  This type of transformation from what was secure at one time to what is shaky at best has likely happened many times over the generations.  Each time there was a desperate need for the Eternal Truth.  This is not a longing for some psychological comfort.  It is a longing for what all human beings have always longed for – and that is God. 

What’s needed is what has always been needed - “landmarks” or signs pointing us to him.  We find ourselves trying to go back and find what once was.  Reminiscing on the good old days can be helpful, but we must be mindful of what we are called to be for one another in the here and now.  Living the Gospel message, living the Beatitudes is not simply a self-help program; it is meant to transform the world.  We are called to be salt of the earth.  Salt brings flavor.  A world searching for truth in all the wrong places is bland and boring.  We are meant to be the light to the world.  A world searching for the truth in darkness is lonely and frightening.  We are meant to be a city on a hill.  Without something to aspire to, we will stay in the valley.

Let’s be signs of the new neighborhood of God’s kingdom.

-  -      - The Servant