The Wayfarer’s Hymn – Brightly Beams – Let the Lower Lights be Burning
In the mid 1800s, the city of Cleveland was becoming a factor to be reckoned with in the world of commerce. Critical to any such success was Cleveland Harbor, which by 1830 featured a world class lighthouse. Now while a lighthouse may bring sailors into the general vicinity of any given harbor, one must also be made aware of any rocky obstructions that could prove hazardous. In Cleveland’s case, there was only one safe though narrow angle of approach for entry into the harbor. This course was marked by a beacon on the pier and lights from homes along the coastline.
On one very stormy night, the pilot and captain of a steamer were attempting to make entrance to this tricky harbor. The conversation in the bridge went something like this:
“Are you sure this is Cleveland harbor?”
“Quite sure, sir,” the pilot replied.
“Then where are the lower lights?” the captain continued.
“Gone out, sir,” the other man answered.
“Can you make the harbor?” the captain asked anxiously.
“We must, or perish, sir,” the pilot replied.
On that very night, most of the ship’s crew complement was lost to a watery grave. A few years later in 1870, a Methodist named Philip Bliss was listening to a sermon by Dwight Moody, who had a way of weaving local history into his sermons. As the preacher recounted the tale of the shipwreck, he tapped the metaphor of souls, on the stormy seas of life, that may need our guidance as they struggle to find safe harbor. Bliss was so inspired by the Moody sermon that he penned Brightly Beams Our Father’s Mercy in 1871. This “Wayfarer’s Hymn” tells us how we, as The Lower Lights, can reach souls that may be adrift while also helping to keep others from wrecking their faith on the shoals of adversity.