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Friday, September 26, 2025

Saint Michaels Harbor
Harbor in Saint Michaels, Maryland
Click on photo to enlarge

"Worthless Things"

Message summary: Do you see the worthless things surrounding you today? 

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“Turn my eyes away from worthless things” (Psalm 119:37).

We both grew up in the Midwest far from the ocean. I saw the ocean a couple of times in my childhood, both the Atlantic and Pacific. But Brooksyne's first ocean sighting was in her early twenties shortly after we were married. Somewhere we have a photo of us on the beach that was taken with a timer long before we could have imagined selfies as we know them now. It was along the Delaware shore at Bethany Beach as I recall.

Not Sharps Island LighthouseI suppose our favorite shore sighting is the lighthouse. We've seen lighthouses up and down both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. If there is a lighthouse anywhere near the location we're visiting we go see it if possible.

On Wednesday we were at St. Michaels Maryland along the Chesapeake Bay where I saw on Google maps there was a "Sharps Island Lighthouse Viewing Area" on Tilghman Island so we headed off to see it. We crossed onto the island via drawbridge and down to nearly the end of the island.

After we arrived we saw a large parking area with a rather ugly tower that I assumed was the lighthouse. I pointed it out to Brooksyne and she was quite underwhelmed, as she responded "Really?!" We were both rather disappointed after making the 15 mile trek from Saint Michaels to see it. It sure didn't look like any lighthouse we had ever seen.

Well, it turns out I hadn't thoroughly done my homework. The lighthouse was actually off the shore in Chesapeake Bay, but we never saw it, since we assumed the tower was the lighthouse! So the lighthouse photo below is not my photo but rather from Google maps! It's leaning due to a condition caused by an ice flow in 1977. I wonder how one's equilibrium would hold up if assigned to this lighthouse for any length of time.

Sharps Island Lighthouse

Today's attempt to get a spiritual lesson out of our assumed lighthouse sighting may admittedly be a bit convoluted. It can be that way for preachers having a story (illustration) to tell, a good illustration in search of a lesson!

One of our area's very large churches will have a special service a week from Sunday where they will feature a horse and a "horse-whisperer". The last two days we have spoken to different people excited about the service and it does sound interesting. But the question is, what will this illustrate? Brooksyne has suggested something to do with the scripture: "If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well" (James 3:3).

Several weeks ago we had Jack and Chris over for a visit. They were members of the church we served in Saint Marys, PA over 30 years ago and they recalled several of my creative sermon illustrations from that age. I guess they were memorable but neither of us could recall the theme of what I was illustrating!*

Now, our assumed lighthouse was not worthless. It had some function as a lookout tower during the Second World War and according to the sign is still used by the Navy. But it certainly was never intended to be a lighthouse.

We are all capable of turning our eyes to that which is at best comparatively worthless compared to Christ. Consider the first daily verse as a personal prayer: “Turn my eyes away from worthless things".

It is found in the midst of the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119, comprising 176 verses divided into 22 sections, each corresponding to a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Sometimes when reading through a longer section of the Bible we can easily miss some spiritual nuggets. We don’t necessarily ponder each phrase or consider its meaning for our lives. I have a good minister friend who did a verse by verse study on this long chapter which reminded me of the importance of chewing on each precious morsel of God’s Word.

The Psalmist was wise in identifying one of the ways we are distracted from those things that are most important.  Are there worthless things that beckon your attention today. Redeem the time and use it wisely by sorting out that which is worthless from that which is worthwhile.


Be encouraged today!  Hebrews 3:13


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Praying manDaily prayer: Father, many people spend their entire lives focused on worthless things.  Turn our eyes from that which is worthless and toward that which is worthwhile, most especially that which is eternally preserved for us in heaven. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.


Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources

"Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus"  Watch on YouTube  The Glorious Christ Live

* I most certainly was illustrating something whenever I used an illustration and now recall the same phenomenon as mostly a listener of remembering the illustration more than the point. Some time back our pastor illustrated something by explaining his personal annoyance at people who don't take their shopping carts back at a parking lot like Costco. I don't recall what he was illustrating but now whenever we see an abandoned shopping cart in a parking lot we look at each other and say "Beau (our pastor's name) wouldn't like that". Brooksyne is more prompted to chase down a stray cart than I, but I'm sure those who are hired to gather carts are glad for any who go after the abandoned carts.



Saint Michaels nature trail covered bridge
Saint Michaels has a nice nature trail with a covered bridge.
Click on photo to enlarge

Tilghman Island barn
The Eastern Shore has lots of agriculture, especially corn and soybeans. This old barn is on an active farm near the lower side Tilghman Island. They were harvesting corn at the time we were there.
Click on photo to enlarge

Kent Island park trail
A quiet, shaded trail through Terrapin Nature Park on Kent Island near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

Finally today:

Pumpkin harvest
Back in Lancaster County in the late afternoon we passed these boys on Rt 23 harvesting pumpkins on their farm.
Click on photo to enlarge

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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version and a variety of other versions.



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