Lighthouses and Jesus our Light

Rescue the perishing,  Care for the dying, Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;   Weep o’er the erring one,  Lift up the fallen, Tell them of Jesus the mighty to save.
Rescue the perishing, Care for the dying; Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save. Fanny Crosby golden oldy

 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life 

                                                     John 8:12 NRSVue

Have you ever noticed that their are a fair number of Lighthouse Christian ministries of different stripes and a lot of them are far from the ocean? I suppose the imagery lends itself to the notion that Christ is our light in the midst of the storm, the One who guides our way. It seems that they are often meant for people who are "lost" or "shipwrecked" in life and can benefit from a supportive Christian community. 

There was a great segment on CBC Radio's The Current not long ago which involved two retired Canadian lighthouse keepers, Caroline Woodward from British Columbia and Barry Porter from Newfoundland. Both had spent decades making sure that these beacons were functioning for the benefit of mariners. Both felt that they had saved lives through their vigilance. They spoke about the challenges of isolation and the necessity of resourcefulness. They also reminisced about the beauty of their settings and the power of solitude. 

We've been blessed to experience lighthouses, up close and personal through the years. We camped within sight and sound of the Swallowtail Lighthouse on Grand Manan Island and visited one of the lighthouses Barry served in Twillingate on a number of occasions.

Perhaps the best experience came when I was in ministry in outport Newfoundland in the early 1980s. Our now departed friend Lewis Wheaton took us on a day trip in his inshore fishing boat during which we visited an island to see puffins, stopped the boat in the midst of a pod of pothead whales, and, finally, at Peckford Island lighthouse, not far from Fogo Island. We had tea with the two lighthouse keepers and heard that the spacious quarters had once housed two families who lived there in isolation for long stretches, with the ultimate in home-schooling for the children. We were told that a drunk pilot managed to run a large ship up onto the plate of rock immediately beneath the light (see below)

Families with kids no longer live at lighthouses for safety reasons and many of the lighthouses are automated, even though Caroline and Barry feel that there is no replacement for human eyes and ears. Apparently the Canadian Coast Guard is looking for lighthouse keepers, so if you have a notion...you could sing rescue hymns at the top of your lungs!

1 Eternal Father, strong to save,

whose arm has bound the restless wave,

who bade the mighty ocean deep

its own appointed limits keep:

O hear us when we cry to thee

for those in peril on the sea.

2 O Christ, whose voice the waters heard,

and hushed their raging at thy word,

who walked upon the foaming deep,

and calm amid the storm did sleep:

O hear us when we cry to thee

for those in peril on the sea.

3 O Holy Spirit, who didst brood

upon the chaos dark and rude,

and bade its angry tumult cease,

and gave for wild confusion, peace:

O hear us when we cry to thee

for those in peril on the sea.

4 O Trinity of love and power,

all travellers guard in danger's hour.

From rock and tempest, fire and foe,

protect them wheresoe'er they go:

thus evermore shall rise to thee

glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

                                      Voices United 659