The Beacon
December 2025
“But of the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.” (Hebrews 1:8)
Although it may have been there before, I began to notice it shortly after Charlie Kirk was killed. It is not big and flashy, but it is not hidden. It is not very colorful or some kind of lengthy platitude that drones on and on. It is a statement…a very important one. It has given me pause – I want to stop and knock on the door of the household that has placed this message on their front lawn, which is along a busy street.
The message conveyed by their sign has relevance for today, but it actually is timeless. (Right now, you may be thinking, “Stop stalling and tell me what the sign says!!!”). If you have recently been northbound on Century Avenue you may have noticed the sign that says, "JESUS IS THE ANSWER."
What a great message! What a bold and needed statement for all who pass by! I too have passed by the sign many times (and will soon knock on a door to acknowledge, encourage, and thank whoever they are for their bold instruction).
Some may be disgusted as they see the sign and shake their head on the inside. Psalm 2 has something to say about that kind of reaction – “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.’” (Psalms 2:1-3). [The LORD laughs at their defiance.]
King Herod the Great was known for his profound paranoia, cruelty, and ruthless actionsm which included: executing his favorite wife, Mariamne I on charges of adultery; killing his mother-in-law the next year; executing three of his own sons on suspicion of treason; and killing his brother-in-law and his wife’s grandfather.
What happened in that cultural milieu? “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’” (Matthew 2:1-2)
In Acts 4:12 Peter said about Jesus, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Since the birth of Jesus, you could conclude that everything has changed…and yet at the same time, nothing has changed. Amidst cruelty, chaos, and confusion, a sign from above, or even a sign along the road, can provide needed teaching: JESUS IS THE ANSWER.