Isaiah 42:1-9
Your Story
Talk about a time when you have needed a light to show you the way.
My Story and the Bible Story
My mother loves lighthouses. She loves to collect them and she loves to visit them. So when I was growing up, every time we went to the beach, we tried to find a lighthouse. We would climb the steps of that lighthouse all the way to the top, and step out into the cool breeze. You could see for miles up there. And at night, that light shone as a beacon, showing ships where the land was. The lighthouse was there to keep the ships safe. Without it, they might crash into the land. But with it, they could safely reach their destination.
Isaiah tells us that Jesus is a lighthouse to the nations. Read Isaiah 42:1-9. From The Message: “Take a good look at my servant. I’m backing him to the hilt. He’s the one I chose, and I couldn’t be more pleased with him. I’ve bathed him with my Spirit, my life. He’ll set everything right among the nations. He won’t call attention to what he does with loud speeches or gaudy parades. He won’t brush aside the bruised and the hurt and he won’t disregard the small and insignificant, but he’ll steadily and firmly set things right. He won’t tire out and quit. He won’t be stopped until he’s finished his work—to set things right on earth. Far-flung ocean islands wait expectantly for his teaching.” God’s Message, the God who created the cosmos, stretched out the skies, laid out the earth and all that grows from it, Who breathes life into earth’s people, makes them alive with his own life: “I am God. I have called you to live right and well. I have taken responsibility for you, kept you safe. I have set you among my people to bind them to me, and provided you as a lighthouse to the nations, To make a start at bringing people into the open, into light: opening blind eyes, releasing prisoners from dungeons, emptying the dark prisons. I am God. That’s my name. I don’t franchise my glory, don’t endorse the no-god idols. Take note: The earlier predictions of judgment have been fulfilled. I’m announcing the new salvation work. Before it bursts on the scene, I’m telling you all about it.”
Back when Isaiah wrote this, he didn’t know about Jesus. But he did know that a Messiah was coming, God’s servant who would live among the people and be a lighthouse for them, bringing the people out into the open. During Advent, we read “the people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:2). When Jesus came into the world, he brought light with him. He is the light, shining to show people the way to God. And as our lighthouse, he shows us the right path to take. He shows us the obstacles that are in our way and how to avoid sin. But sometimes we stumble. Sometimes we choose to do the wrong thing and we fall. But even then, his light still shines, showing us the right way. So the next time you see a lighthouse, remember that Jesus is our lighthouse, showing us the way to God.
Discussion
• Ask your children to talk about a time when they had to use a flashlight to see their way in the dark. Talk about how hard it is to walk in the dark without a light, and how much a flashlight helps.
• Talk to your children about ways that Jesus shows us the way to God.
Prayer
Thank God for sending Jesus to be our lighthouse. Ask God for helping in know the way to go.
Jessica Asbell is currently serving as the Minister to Children at First Baptist Church of Roswell, GA. She has worked with children in various capacities at several churches, including Winter Park Baptist in Wilmington, NC, First Baptist of Decatur, GA, and Highland Hills Baptist in Macon, GA. She has a Master of Divinity from McAfee School of Theology and a BBA from Mercer University. In her spare time she loves to read, watch movies, and of course spend time with her sweet kitty, Lucy.
