Jesus says in John’s Gospel that John the Baptizer was a ‘burning and shining lamp’ and that people were ‘content to rejoice in his light’. But just like the shining golden calf in today’s excerpt from Exodus, shiny doesn’t mean best. The Israelites needed an idol; John’s followers needed something new. Neither group saw what was lacking in the newly found shiny object. Am I tempted to follow shiny new teachings, or ideas, or fads because they are just that—shiny and new? Are we no longer contented with the faith we were taught? Can we see what is lacking and return to the tried and true—God? Let’s pray for each other.
