Intersections: Where Faith Meets Life – by Bob Weathers

At the south end of Charleston Harbor, the historic Morris Island Lighthouse still stands sentry over the sea. She has guarded the coast since 1876, and earlier, if you count the predecessors of the current structure. At one time, her striped brick tower ascended in the sand from a comfortable 1,600 feet behind the ocean. But no more. Now she stands in the midst of the water, like a lonely warrior awaiting a rescue, a testament to the destructive power of erosion.

Bob Weathers

And as if the encroaching sea were not enough of a concern, now the very foundation is in trouble. Worms have nibbled on the base of the majestic structure for long enough that now, possibly, if the sea doesn’t pull the very ground out from under the lighthouse, she may simply topple over from a weakened foundation.

Isolation. Erosion. Worms. A triple threat that could bring down an historic masterpiece.

But help is on the way. The peril of the lighthouse caught the attention of politicians and private organizations alike, and they have taken drastic action to save the isolated light station from its certain demise. That’s good news. No one wants to see the grand lighthouse fall.

But other lighthouses have faced the triple threat, too, and they ultimately crumbled. In fact, you probably know about a few of these lighthouses. We all do. But we usually know them by their other name: churches.

Jesus portrayed churches as houses set on hills to provide light for the lost. Lighthouses, so to speak (Matthew 5:14-16).

Churches regularly face the triple enemies: Erosion- problems that come from outside the church. Worms- division and strife that eat the foundation of the church. And isolation- inward-looking attitudes that result in a forgotten mission.

But unlike a spiraling, seaside lighthouse, a church has a choice. It can stand against the erosion through prayer and unity. And its best pesticide against the worms is genuine love in the body of Christ. And it fights the isolation by remembering why it is on the hill: to win the lost to Christ.

Take a hard look at your church. See any signs of the triple threat? Take drastic action and fight all three by being the church God has called you to be.