Keeping the Light On

Keeping the Light On

A sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Randy Hammer, September 26, 2021

Isaiah 42:1-9; Matthew 5:14-16; "Why I Wake Early," by Mary Oliver

Today I am coming full circle, so to speak, returning to where I began 13 ½ years ago.  I felt that the subject was of utmost importance then, and I still feel that way today.  So, for those of you who were present for my interview meditation in February 2008, and also have a good memory, some – not all, but some – of what I say today may sound familiar to you.

One of my favorite modern-day parables is the story of the lighthouse that forgot what its purpose was.  In a quaint little seaside village, a lighthouse was built to be a beacon and life-saving station.  Its purpose was to warn sailors at sea, and in the unfortunate event of a shipwreck, when ships didn’t heed or could not see its warning because of dense fog, to help rescue those who crashed upon the rocks. 

Well, as time went by, there weren’t many ships that needed their life-saving services, so the lighthouse devoted less and less energy to lighthouse preparedness and activities.  It soon became nothing more than a social gathering place for the village.  Villagers would drop by to chat with the lighthouse keeper.  On Friday and Saturday nights they would play Rook, or maybe strike up a band and have a dance, and on occasion hold an ugliest-dog-in-the-village contest.

Before long, everyone had pretty much forgotten what the lighthouse’s initial purpose really was—being a beacon and life-saving station to sailors at sea.  And so, the light in the tower that gives the lighthouse its identity was allowed to burn out.  Then when a ship crashed upon the rocks for lack of a warning light, the villagers were not prepared for the rescue.  The lighthouse had become a place to have fun.  But we all know that having fun is not what lighthouses are built for.  They are intended, are built, and exist for a much nobler purpose, to be a beacon and warning light to ships at sea.

Well, like the lighthouse, the church has a high purpose and calling.  And every now and then it is good to take time to revisit what our real purpose is, for it is sometimes easy for churches to forget what their primary purpose was and is. 

In his book titled Behold I Do a New Thing, Kirk Hadaway speaks of “goal displacement—a process by which the primary mission of an organization is replaced by operative goals that have little, if anything, to do with the organization’s original reason for being. . . .  It often happens that what an organization does has little to do with its purpose”¹ Hadaway says.

This time of transition affords an excellent opportunity to revisit what the overarching purposes of the United Church, Chapel on the Hill, have been in the past and should continue to be in the future.  But first, a bit of background.

Being a light to the world has long been seen as a primary purpose of God’s people – be it the Jewish people or the Christian Church.  It was the Hebrew prophet Isaiah who first instilled the vision that a primary purpose of God’s people should be “a light to the nations.”  In fact, Eugene Peterson, in his contemporary translation of the Bible, The Message, renders the verse in Isaiah, “I have provided you as a lighthouse to the nations.”  Isaiah was speaking to God’s people at a critical time in their history.  There was political uncertainty, changes occurring in the world as they knew it, and spiritual soul-searching.  It sort of sounds like what has been going on in our world of late, doesn’t it?  But all of these changes also presented a wonderful opportunity for Israel to be a light to the nations by sharing God’s message, working for justice (the word “justice” occurs three times in the seven verses we read from Isaiah), and ministering to the oppressed.  Israel had an unprecedented opportunity to provide much-needed instruction, be a religious guide, and shed some light in the darkness and give hope to a searching, wandering, suffering humanity. 

It is not surprising that Jesus drew from Isaiah’s light to the nations imagery when he exhorted his followers to be “the light of the world.”  Through personal and collective witness in the community; good works with the hungry, homeless, poor, and oppressed; celebrative, transformative worship; and providing beloved community, the light of Christ can indeed shine forth from us.  I am reminded of the sign that is said to have been on a lamppost outside Albert Schweitzer’s jungle hospital in Africa.  The sign said, “Here in whatever hour you come, you will find light and help and human kindness.”  So it should be with the church, a light to the community. 

Since I am drawing on the lighthouse imagery, permit me to share another lighthouse parable of sorts.  Many years ago, our family of four set a goal of visiting all 48 contiguous states before our two children got married and left home.  It was a goal, I am proud to say, that we were able to accomplish.  Our last summer vacation of four before our daughter got married took us to North Carolina’s Outer Banks, including the famed Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.  As you know, for decades Hatteras Lighthouse has served as an iconic beacon of light, warning all passing ships of the treacherous shoreline that has been nicknamed “Graveyard of the Atlantic.”  But a few years ago, Hatteras Lighthouse reached a critical juncture in its history.  Over time the ocean had eroded the shoreline so that the waves were lapping at the very base of the lighthouse itself, threatening to destroy it.  But through a long, complicated and precisioned maneuver, Hatteras Lighthouse was actually moved inland intact about a half mile away from the shore.  It is a fascinating story.  Firmly established again after going through a time of transition, Hatteras Lighthouse was poised to be a much-needed beacon of light for another hundred years or so.

Well, could all of this be a parable of sorts for the United Church of Oak Ridge?  This is a good time to stress the importance of this United Church continuing to put forth a strong light to this community for decades to come. 

When I first came here, I heard or read about the story of how from the very beginning, this Chapel was looked upon as a light upon the hill.  I heard of how on that first Christmas Eve of 1943, worshippers gathered in this Chapel for a Christmas Eve service, then around midnight everyone exited the church and went forth carrying their Christmas candles, radiating light to the community around it.  Such would become a metaphor for the actual mission and ministry of this United Church and Chapel on the Hill.  For 78 years, this church has been a much-needed beacon, a light on the hill for those in search of an open, inclusive, ecumenical, non-creedal, progressive community of faith.  How our fragmented world that is so divided down religious lines, racial lines, gender lines, and political lines needs a place like this Chapel-on-the-Hill and the light it has to offer!

I have said it dozens of times: this church is unique, like no other church in Oak Ridge. It has been, and needs to continue to be, a progressive voice of reason in the community.  There is so much craziness, so much misinformation being spread today.  This church needs to be a voice calling for justice for those segments of society who have been and continue to be victims of discrimination, oppression, and injustices.  This church needs to continue to be that light upon the hill shining in the darkness of division, estrangement, uncertainty, and loneliness.  And so, I have some favors to ask of you today:

1.    I ask you to throw your full support to the continued ministries of this United Church.  Support this church financially, in your attendance, by volunteering wherever you can.  Never forget how important the light and ministry of this church are to the greater Oak Ridge community, and be proud of being a part of it.

2.    I ask you to throw your full support behind Suzanne, who will assume the role of Interim Minister next Sunday.  In Suzanne you have a wonderful preacher who wants to lead you in being a light of justice and truth.  In Suzanne you will have someone who has a wonderful pastor’s spirit.  In Suzanne you have someone who can lead you in being that much-needed voice and that much needed light to the community.  I hope you will support her as you have supported me.

3.    I ask that you will forgive me for any mistakes I may have made these past 13 years or for any words I might have carelessly spoken that brought hurt to anyone.

4.    I ask that you remember that Motel 6 television commercial of several years ago, where Tom Bodet concluded by saying, “And we’ll leave the light on for you.”  I ask that you will consider leaving the light on for us so that we may return here as appropriate from time to time.  Amen.

 ¹C. Kirk Hadaway, Behold I Do a New Thing, pp. 7, 10.