Moon towers were briefly popular in the late nineteenth century in cities across the United States and Europe. The fifteen in Austin are the only ones left. The iconic Zilker Park Holiday Tree is built around one of Austin’s remaining moon towers.
Maybe you’ve seen them around town. They stand over 160 feet tall. Back in the 1890s when there was very little light from other sources, the light cast from carbon arc lamps on top of a single tower illuminated a fifteen-hundred-foot radius bright enough to read a pocketwatch.
Preserving these moon towers and celebrating these moon towers are just another way we keep Austin weird. But they were built back at a time when the city needed the safety and security that light provides. It’s said that the towers were built in response to fears of a serial killer known as “The Servant Girl Annihilator.” The local lore claims the moon towers made him depart Austin for London where he became Jack the Ripper. That’s most likely a Texas tall tale, but there’s something very true about the story: The city needed a way to push back the insecurity that darkness brings.
We know how darkness makes us feel uncertain and unsafe and how light can make all the difference.
In John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Do you see what Jesus was claiming? All other great religious teachers have come on the scene to say, “Let me take you to the light. My eyes have been opened, so let me help you open your eyes.” But Jesus did not say, “I’ve become enlightened.” Instead, he said, “I am the light that enlightens you.”
You can’t be neutral when someone says something like that. What Jesus said is absolutely offensive unless it is absolutely true. You must make your choice.
Let’s think more about the light of Jesus this Sunday. We meet online or on campus starting at 10am. Find out more at www.hillcrest.church.
--Tom
Sign up here to receive Tom Goodman’s weekly devotional in your email inbox. Tom serves as pastor at Hillcrest Church in Austin, Texas. His sermons are available on YouTube and the HillcrestToGo Podcast and you can find him on Facebook and Twitter.