Let all things now living / A song of thanksgiving / To God the creator triumphantly raise, / Who fashioned and made us, / Protected and stayed us, / Who still guides us on to the end of our days. / God’s banners are o’er us, / His light goes before us, / A pillar of cloud shining forth in the night. / Till shadows have vanished / And darkness is banished, / As forward we travel from light into light.”
“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth. I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”- Psalm 119:103-105 (NIV)
Born Anna Keppen to German immigrants in Michigan City, Indiana, in 1884, Anita King found herself orphaned at the age of fourteen. Her mother died of tuberculosis, two years after her father committed suicide. Around 1908, Anita moved to the West Coast. There she developed a fascination with powerful cars while working as a model at California auto shows.
Consequently, Anita soon learned to drive. By the early 1910s she competed in auto races. Most significantly, in 1915 she set out to become the first woman to drive alone across the continental US. Backed by studio boss Jesse L. Lasky and his newly formed Paramount Pictures, Anita set out from the Hollywood studios on August 25. 1915.
Finally, after many stops at Paramount theaters along the way, Anita arrived in New York City on October 19, forty-nine days later. With Los Angeles air in her front Firestone tires.
Anita King overcame severe hardships early in life to blaze a trail through the prevailing social mores of her day. Writing in Chapter 11 (“The Secret of a Loving Heart: Gratitude”) of Everybody’s Normal Till You Get to Know Them (2003), John Ortberg examines Luke’s account of A Sinful Woman Forgiven (Luke 7:36-50). When Jesus arrives at the house of Simon the Pharisee for dinner, Simon fails to greet Jesus with a kiss or wash His feet. Deliberate insults. A slap in the face. Yet, Jesus accepts this humiliation without protest. And no one comes to Jesus’ side or stands up for Him. Truly, His light goes before us.
Then Jesus tells Simon a story about two men who owed money to a certain moneylender. Above all, John stresses, this teaching of Jesus stands in stark contrast with modern thinking. Because our culture views people with healthy self-esteem and low regret factors as possessing the capacity to love. So-called normal people. No such people exist! Instead, Jesus says those capable of great love have come face-to-face with their own brokenness. Undone by great grace, His light goes before them.
Finally, although Jesus keeps speaking to Simon, He locks His eyes on the woman. In doing so, Jesus compels Simon to look where He looks and see what He sees. But Simon only sees a theological object lesson. Yet, Jesus finds genuine joy in taking on the woman’s pain to bring her healing. This Jesus of the cross also does this for us. In sacrificial love, His light goes before us.
So, John exhorts, value what God values. Hence, Pastor Ortberg closes with this ancient story:
“A poor traveler . . . is amazed by the welcome he receives at a monastery. He is served a lavish meal, escorted to their finest room, and given a new set of clothes to replace the rags he arrived in. Before leaving, he commented to the abbot on how well he was treated. Yes, the abbot said, we always treat our guests as if they are angels — just to be on the safe side.”