Leasowe Lighthouse

Graduation/Teacher Appreciation/Sunday School Sunday
Readings: Psalm 43:1-5, Genesis 1:1-5, Matthew 5:13-16, Revelation 21:22-27.
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY on June 17th, 2012

A printable PDF file can be found here

Have any of you visited the lighthouse at Fire Island or at Montauk or anywhere else?
I used to live in a place called Moreton, in England, which had as it’s most prominent feature – guess what? A chocolate factory – but it also had a lighthouse called Leasowe Lighthouse

When I was growing up the Leasowe lighthouse stood disused and neglected because a new sea wall had been built to stop the land eroding away – and actually reclaiming some land – so much so that the lighthouse stood about 2200 yards away from the sea—behind a wall – and was abandoned. A lonely little lighthouse, with no light to shine.

It was not always so. Originally the river I used to live by, the River Mersey, was one of the busiest in the world. Ships from all over the world would make their way through a narrow channel on their way to the great port of Liverpool. Very dangerous waters with dangerous rocks just below the surface.

One day a ship came through full of cotton bales, hit the rocks, and its cargo washed up on the shore of Moreton. This was about the same time as they were thinking about building a lighthouse. So they used, as a base, cotton bales mixed with sand, hard and solid as the toughest concrete, and they built a lighthouse.

That shone its light. Bleep. Bleep.

And all the ships were safe.  UNTIL. ..Da Da Da Da DAH..
Some naughty people in Moreton had a really bad idea.

“The Wreckers of Moreton’ came into being. ‘The Wreckers of Moreton’ were on-land pirates (they didn’t have parrots, eye-patches ships or wooden legs) a dangerous gang of villains, as there had ever been in those parts. It was not a good time in history to be a lighthouse keeper.

What the wreckers used to do was build a fire out near the rocks, break into the lighthouse, knock the keeper on the head, and put out the lighthouse light. Then Captain Smith aboard the Good Ship Pennsylvania, navigating his ship, would be coming into the deep channel, watching for the lights. He didn’t know that the light he was looking at was a bogus light. His ship would be guided onto the rocks, whereupon the “Wreckers of Moreton” would attack the crew, seize whatever goods they could and sometimes murder the poor ships crew.

That didn’t last for long. Eventually the militia were sent from Liverpool to guard the lighthouse and the lighthouse was able to get back to doing what it was meant to do. Shine the light Bleep. Bleep.

That was until they built a great big sea wall. And a new lighthouse that didn’t need a lighthouse keeper that was miles away on the other side of the channel. But the old one just stayed where it was.

Poor little lighthouse.  What was it to do now? No Bleep. Bleep. Nobody looking after it. No ships to guide.

Then, way back in the year 1930 or so Moreton had become, not a place of Wreckers, but a place for a vacation. The sea wall had created a lovely beach. A railway station had opened making it a place holiday makers from the city of Liverpool could easily reach. And they came in their hundreds.

Somebody had a bright idea. What about “The Lighthouse Café” What a novelty! All the holiday makers came and got a cup of tea and an ice cream and suddenly the lighthouse was back in business.

The years went by. Good years of fun and laughter. Till a great war broke out. And the holiday makers stopped coming. And the wall became fortified with concrete and bunkers where they placed guns to shoot down the bombers that were raiding Liverpool. And barbed wire to stop any enemy landings. And anti-tank barricades. (When I was growing up some of them still there and it was an exciting place to play). But the little lighthouse once again stood empty.

After the war Moreton no longer was so attractive for a holiday. The river had become so polluted and muddy that no-one dared swim in the sea. And air travel had arrived taking people to nicer warmer beaches in Spain rather than old Moreton in the Mud. So for many years the lighthouse stood tall and looking sad.  It’s only visitors were people who broke in and smashed its windows and wrecked its staircase and sprayed it with graffiti and left behind their trash. “It’s not much fun being me” thought the little light house.

Then, around fifteen years ago, the area around the lighthouse started to take on a new life as what today is known as the ‘Wirral Coastal Park’ started to be developed. Some said they should knock that old lighthouse down as it had become a liability. But more enlightened souls recognized its potential as a visitor center for those who came to walk the coastline and observe the wildlife, plants and birds and breathe the sea air.

So it was given a smart white coat of paint. New windows. New stairs. And these days thousands of school children visit every year to learn about its history. And you can once again get a cool drink on a hot summer’s day! You can even climb to the top and see the view.

In fact if you go to www.leasowelighthouse.co.uk you can find a “Friends of Leasowe Lighthouse” website that features a webcam that shows you a minute by minute panoramic view from the top of the lighthouse. These days the little lighthouse provides pictures to the whole wide world of the views from its heights. Once more it is a happy proud little lighthouse!

Jesus tells us to shine our light for Him. He is the Light of the World.

There are other tempting lights in the world, but some if we follow them will lead to trouble and ruin like the “’Wreckers of Moreton”.

As we go though life Jesus may ask us to serve Him in different ways.

Sometimes to be a light and a guide for others. Like the Leasowe Lighthouse when it guided ships through the dangerous rocks.

Sometimes to serve and help others. Like the Leasowe Lighthouse Tea-Rooms and Restaurant.

Sometimes to inform and teach people. Like the Leasowe Lighthouse as it serves as a center for the Wirral Coastal Park.

Sometimes maybe we can offer something to the whole world. Like the Friends of Leasowe Lighthouse Webcam.

We may have days or seasons when we don’t feel like we are much use. When we hardly shine at all. Just like the lighthouse. Just like Good Friday became Easter Sunday; God loves us and has a plan for us and will help us through!

Rev Adrian J. Pratt B.D.