The National Park Service has a 124- page manual to describe the duties of lighthouse keeper.
Here are a few of the tasks:
- Light the beacon well before dusk.
- Inspect the Fresnel lens, with its many prisms, which was cleaned that morning.
- Check the lamp that produces the light and refill with fuel.
- Trim the wick and light it
- Unlock the gears that cause the lens to revolve
- Check the weather with a telescope frequently
- Attend to shipwrecked persons or notify others to bring aid to those in peril on the sea
Although the pay was minimal, lighthouse keepers were well-respected individuals in the community.
This week’s new sermon series, “Finding God,” reminds us that God is there always – like a faithful lighthouse shining in the night – to guide and direct us. Like ships that drift off course, sometimes we can lose our way and get dangerously close to the rocks. God, however, is never lost, but stands firmly on the shore, shining brightly, wanting nothing more than to welcome us home.
May God richly bless you this weekend as you seek the peace found in God, our refuge and strength.
Peace,
Pastor Cathy Johns