When the Spanish settled in St. Augustine in 1565, they built wooden towers along the coast to defend the city. It is possible that Spanish soldiers used bonfires to light their watchtowers; doing so made the watchtowers an early form of a lighthouse. No evidence of them remains today. In 1737, the Spanish used coquina to fortify the wooden watchtower on Anastasia Island. When the British took over Florida, they made the wooden watchtower taller. They also may have used bonfires to light the tower. (https://projectarchaeology.org/2016/08/01/a-history-of-lighthouses/)

As crucial as the lighthouse or watchtower was to the maritime sailors, it’s the same today of those that claim to be children, followers of Jesus. Our Savior made this substantial claim: Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”(Joh.8:12) or this: “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (Joh.9:5).

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus provides specific instructions for those that would follow him: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Mat.5:14-16)

Paul encourages us with this from Philippians chapter two: “that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, (Php.2:15)

A neighborhood is much safer if it is well lighted at night. Here is a fact: light makes the world a better place. The spiritual connotations of “light” are everywhere to be found in scripture. Here are some additional passages that help us understand what it is to be lights, or as the Lord’s church, “A Lighthouse!”

There is the “light” of the gospel: “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2Cor.4:3-6)

We are commanded to walk in the light: “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” (1Jn.1:5-10)

You and I are “light bearers” – we have a God-given obligation to preach the word of life … the light giving word … in a dark world. If we shine brightly, like the lighthouse on the rocky destination of destruction, people cannot help but see our devotion and love for the Lord and be drawn to the light.

In the heavens, there are two kinds of “lights.” There are those bodies, such as the sun, which are light givers. And there are those bodies such as the moon, which reflect light. We are like the moon. And we must be careful that nothing gets between us and the sun, or there will be an eclipse. And such an “eclipse” of a spiritual nature would be tragic for all humankind.