Light Houses and Light Keepers

This Tybee Island lightstation was first constructed in 1733. It was built too close to the ocean and twice destroyed by the ocean. Being rebuilt each time but further inland. It was set fire during the Civil War as the Confederates retreated to a nearby fort. This time only the inside was destroyed as it was built out of wood. They rebuilt the lighthouse into what you see above.


A famous story is of keeper Marcus Hanna and rescue of the crew of the Australia in 1885. A ship had run ashore during a terrible winter storm, 100 yards from the lighthouse. The Captain had been swept away to sea; two crew members clung, freezing to the mast. Hanna was coming off shift and was sick; storm so bad he had to crawl on hands and knees in snow. He had gone to bed sick when his wife saw the silhouette of the ship on the rocks. Hanna sent the assistant to get Lifesaving Service. Meanwhile tried to throw lines to the crew. He had to go waistdeep in the freezing water. Finally got rope to the first crew member, Pierce, who finally got it around his body and Hanna pulled the line to shore, slowly and painfully, fighting hypothermia. Pierce’s eyes were iced shut and jaw frozen in silent scream. He then threw a rope to rescue Kellar, and started to haul him, when he was relieved by the US Lifesaving Service crew. He received a gold lifesaving medal for his bravery.

Keeper Marcus Hanna endured sickness, the storm, and exhaustion to keep the light burning bright. He endured pain, hypothermia, and his body parts being frozen to rein in the lost and dying.

The keeper of the light was in a position to guide those to safety. The light had to stay on 24 hours, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. Always a beacon for the lost to find haven in the fog, storm, or the darkness.

John 1:5
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

A lighthouse keeper or lightkeeper is a person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Lighthouse keepers were sometimes referred to as "wickies" because of their job trimming the wicks.

Keeping the light bright took refueling and the trimming of the wicks ( knocking the burnt part of the wick off) it is essentially like changing an old lightbulb to a new lightbulb. Creating a brighter light.


Matthew 25:1-13
25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.

8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Keeping watch involves preparation. The world is lost in darkness and to be the light we must stay fueled in the Spirit. We must remain close to God.

Matthew 5:14
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.

To quench the flame, fades the light we possess and people will remain lost.

1 Thessalonians 5:19
19 Do not quench the Spirit.

We must keep the light bright and the flame fueled so all who are weary, burdened, and need rest for their soul.

Matthew 11:28-30
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Living in moral darkness, cultural darkness, emotional, physical, or mental darkness can be extremely exhausting. But a weary soul can prevent any true happiness.

John 8:12
12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Jesus is the light of the world, all who come to Him will find the soul rest so many unknowingly desire. The healing of the soul that often overflows into both mind and body.

The light of life. The meaning and purpose of life. And the promise that provides hope in all circumstances dealing in life or death.

John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

The gift of grace is to all who will believe and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Grace being something never earned, never deserved but freely given.

Rather it is depression, come into the light.
Sorrow, grief, sickness, or pain? Come and follow the light of life. A broken marriage? Children who have lost their way? Anxiety? Come into the light.

Or has your fire grown weak as you are feeling distant from God? Check your fuel source. Is it oil or water? The two cannot mix and one only fuels the fire while the other suppresses it.

What are you doing to fuel your spiritual flame? Reading the Bible? Studying the Bible? Church? Discipleship? Prayer? Apologetics? Or water it down with the culture, the media, the news, or selfish desires?

John 14:6
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Find your way, the only way to the truth and the life. And once found, just like a vine's branches cannot remain alive, if cut off from the vine. We must remain in the source of life and the source of truth.

We must live as children of the light. And surrender our will to the will of God.

Ephesians 5:8
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light

The lighthouse and the lightkeeper are earthly reminders of such spiritual importance.

A matter that has its weight in life or death.

Psalm 119:105

Do you create all these images? They are always real creative.

Thank you, Roughsoul, and yes, I do They are digital collages constructed using bit and pieces I have found through exhaustive searches for individual elements such as flowers, angels, backgrounds, special effects, etc, which I make many adjustments to while putting them together to form each panel after starting each design with a blank canvas

I found your OP a little long but read it out of respect for you, and enjoyed it

I thought that particular panel was an appropriate fit

Wow that is some talent. To the details and time put into it.

Yah the OP is going to be a sermon so I wanted enough material to spark the Holy Spirit as I planned the material but God will guide my steps.

Inspiring story... always loved lighthouses...

I only don't see us as keepers of the light though. Jesus said we are light... There's a difference... Dualism entered Christian theology from Greek philosophy very early on. The Bible itself isn't dualist. If we say we are keepers of the light it will separate us from God. But God is one and we are not separate from Him anywhere, at any time, even as the Psalmist said "if I ascend into Heaven, you are there, if I made my bed in hell, behold, you are there" and also "nothing shall separate us from the love of God".

Jesus spoke this to both the believing and unbelieving, answering to the Pharisees in Luke 17, "behold, the kingdom of God is within you"... What were the Pharisees meant to notice within them? Were the Pharisees "keepers" of the light? Hmm, hard pass! Yet, Jesus told them there was the kingdom of God within them (gasp!) John 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not ... What is this darkness? Carnal mind... The Spirit can only be comprehended by the Spirit. Isn't that something?

Rom 8:6-7 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

But it is in fact those who walk in darkness will not experience all that God has to offer. They will in fact experience soul damnation if they choose to remain in darkness.

I have been to Tybee Island a few times.

It was nice. I enjoyed the history more than anything else. It is very expensive but we mostly just looked around and studied the history.

I stayed with some well-to-do friends of my late second wife. We took a tour of some old fort too. At least I think that it was on Tybee Island. Got a $15 parking ticket too. Compared to the rest of the island that was a bargain. Had a good time. Ate a lot of raw oysters with tabasco and crackers.

Yah we visited a old military battery now turned into a museum. We wanted to find a good oyster joint but just ran out of time. I was mostly there to visit the old churches. Most of them wouldn't let you in due to their strict covid mandates. So that was disappointing. I'll have to revisit Christ Church when they open back up.

You could do your sermon at night and in the middle of it, get someone whos in on the sermon to turn all the church building lights off in the middle of it (but you secretly have bought along your torch/flashlight that you have kept on at the pulpit) to demonstrate.

There is this demonstration I have seen done before. They turn the lights off. And turn on their phones flash light to represent God. Then as other come to Christ they turn on their light. Eventually a dark room is bright enough to see and move within the building. Also to notice what happens when 1 person walks away from the group. Their light isn't as bright and then become surrounded by darkness. Or what happens to a flame when it loses air. It begins to grow dim. If we do not remain in Christ then we may also feel choked out by the world.