Lighthouses

Lighthouses

History and Purpose of Lighthouses

            For centuries, mariners have relied upon lighthouses to help them navigate through treacherous waters and into safe harbors.  It is believed that the earliest nighttime beacon was a fire perched atop a cliff.  Some lighthouses were nothing more than wood and coal fueled fires in metal buckets hanging from poles.  Others were fires built on tall platforms.  As countries emerged from the Dark Ages, lighthouses slowly became permanent features on navigational charts and could be seen throughout Europe.  It was only natural for the construction of lighthouses to take hold on the new American continent.

            Lighthouses can be found today up and down the Atlantic and Pacific coastlines and throughout the Great Lakes.  Interestingly, there are more lighthouses in Michigan than any other state.

            So important were lighthouses throughout the history of our nation that stories abound concerning enemy attempts at destroying these important navigational aids.  Such is the case with the lighthouses on the Outer Banks of North Carolina during the Civil War.

            Two lighthouses on the Outer Banks are of particular interest.  They are the Bodie Island and Cape Hatteras lighthouses.  These lighthouses have warned mariners for over a century and a half of the dangerously shallow waters that have snared thousands of ships and sent them to a watery grave.  Not only do these two lighthouses warn sailors of their approach to shallow waters, but also serve as a reminder that they are in a mix of warm waters from the Gulf from the south and cold waters from the North Atlantic, a condition that is ripe for perilous sailing.  These two lighthouses, along with others throughout the Outer Banks have stood tall against the winds and the storms and have done their jobs well over the years.

            Their work is accomplished mainly by use of a small light bulb, not much bigger than a softball, and a series of specially crafted lenses that magnify and project the light as much as 20 miles away from these lighthouses.  In addition their lights rotate off and on through a designated series of flashes that specifically identify them to sailors.  Whereas one lighthouse may illuminate its light for two seconds then darken its light for two seconds, another lighthouse may turn its light on for three seconds and turn it off for two seconds.  This process allows sailors to know exactly where they are as well as being alerted to the dangers of the waters.  All that is required of sailors is that they be aware of the lights, their systems of signals, and most importantly, to heed their warnings.

            Meanwhile, the lighthouses stand tall against the tempestuous seas and darkest of nights.  Steady and constant do their beacons bid the mariner to stay the course, to seek safe harbor, and to move carefully through troubled waters.  But, for each lighthouse is a caretaker who makes sure that the light continues to burn, who polishes the intricate design of the special lenses, and assures that no uncertain signal is sent from the towering light.

            The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a spiritual lighthouse.  The prophet is its caretaker.  We are the associates and assistants to the caretaker, but we are also the mariners who pass through perilous waters on our journeys.

The Gospel Lighthouse

            The Gospel lighthouse stands as a beacon to the world, warning all within its sight of the dangers of the world and bidding its inhabitants to take safe harbor.  Its signal is sure: “No unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end.  Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day” (3 Nephi 27: 19, 20).  Indeed, there is an adversary who has attempted to destroy that lighthouse.  The Gospel has been attacked by its enemies.  Saints of the early Church and those of the Latter-days have been persecuted, attacked and belittled.  But through the years it has stood steady and firm, bidding us to “Follow the Son”, to come unto Christ. 

There are places in this world where the Gospel is forbidden and as a result, its penetrating light is darkened and the people remain in ignorance of gospel principles and doctrine.  How interesting that turbulence in these areas is the rule rather than the exception.  In a like manner, there are those who have the Gospel light available to them, but choose to ignore it.  Likewise, their lives are filled with turbulence, anxiety, and despair.  The grim reality is that those who choose to ignore Gospel principles are no better off in this life than those who do not have Gospel principles to live by.

The Gospel Caretakers

Through the ages, the Lord has called prophets to be His caretakers of the Gospel.  The prophets are charged with spreading the Gospel in their own times.  Just as technology through the years has allowed lighthouse caretakers to use more effective and efficient ways of generating light, the changing conditions of the times dictates that the prophets deliver timeless messages that meet the needs of their generation.  Previous generations to ours did not have to worry about the evil and smut that can be brought into our homes via the internet or pay-per-view TV.  They did not face the temptations of welfare fraud and tax evasion or state sponsored gambling.  However, all the prophets have preached against the evils of pride and vanity, working to serve physical appetites, and pursuit of unearned wealth and unrighteous dominion.  Their mission remains the same, and we as members of the Church of Jesus Christ serve as the associate caretakers.  People watch us.  They know who we are and what we represent.  They understand that we live by a higher standard.

Tom Barrett came from Chicago and he had that distinctive Chicago accent.  When I first met him, he was a detective, and he worked mainly at night.  Those of us who were patrol officers liked Tom as he was both energetic and humorous.  He was also a spiritual man.  When we worked the night shift, we would carry our flashlights in a ring that was attached to our gun belts.  Sometimes when placing the flashlight in the ring, the ring would catch on the switch of the flashlight and turn the light on.  You could literally walk around for hours with your flashlight turned on, aimed at the ceiling or the sky and never know it.  Tom, when he would see one of his fellow officers, would point to the flashlight, and in his best Chicago accent would say, “You know what they say.  You can’t be a beacon if your light don’t shine.”  His message was not lost on any of us and it should not be lost on anybody, as you cannot be a beacon if your light does not shine.  As a fellow caretaker of the lighthouse, you must always be vigilant in keeping the commandments and being an example to those around you.

Brightly beams our Father’s mercy from his lighthouse evermore,

But to us he gives the keeping of the lights along the shore.

Dark the night of sin has settled; loud the angry billows roar.

Eager eyes are watching, longing, for the lights along the shore.

Trim your feeble lamp, my brother; some poor sailor tempest-tossed,

Trying now to make the harbor, in the darkness may be lost.

Let the lower lights be burning; send a gleam across the wave.

Some poor fainting, struggling seaman you may rescue, you may save.

LDS Hymns #335, Phillip Paul Bliss

We are Mariners on the Open Sea

Each of us is a mariner.  We travel through this probationary state on sometimes rough and turbulent waters.  And, what at times appears warm, calm and inviting may be shallow and hiding dangers waiting to rip through the foundation of faith.  The temptation to stray is often strong.  Voices from the deep call us to enter spiritually dangerous areas.  But, we cannot go there.  Look to and follow the light of the Gospel.  “Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men.  Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life” (2 Nephi 31: 20).

© 2003 Gregory B. Talley