Dear Covenant Friends,

For nearly five years, our family lived in Fort Myers, Florida, and my husband served at Covenant Presbyterian. Every Friday, we took our four young sons to the beach, where they spent hours playing in the sand, chasing seagulls, and, when we were lucky, even napping. One of our favorite destinations was the lighthouse on Sanibel Island, nestled among trees and shrubs that provided food, shelter, and nesting sites for water birds and other wildlife. However, a few years ago, Hurricane Ian struck the area, stripping away much of the native vegetation. Amid the devastation, the historic lighthouse stood resilient—a powerful symbol of hope when many feared it had been lost.

The image of a lighthouse comes to mind when I read Psalm 27, one of the lectionary readings for the second Sunday in Lent. Lighthouses serve as beacons, warning mariners of treacherous shallows and perilous rocky coasts while guiding vessels safely into and out of harbors. However, in today’s world, the number of operational lighthouses has dwindled, largely due to the high cost of maintenance and the prevalence of advanced electronic navigation systems. Though they remain enduring symbols of guidance and safety, it seems we have outgrown our reliance on them.

What does all this have to do with the spiritual life? We are living in a time when the protective hedges around us are being stripped away by the latest climate crisis or political storm. It’s time to ask ourselves if the Bible has become only a symbol of hope, like an unused lighthouse.

If you were in church last Sunday, you heard the story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. He fasted, he prayed, and he was tempted to wield evil’s power—to manipulate natural resources, human governments, and even his own image. Yet Jesus was not alone. Angels attended to him, and his deep knowledge of Scripture and unwavering relationship with God sustained Him in the desert. He resisted the Tempter’s false promises and refused to put God to the test. The scriptures were not just a symbol for Jesus, but a stronghold, a light to guide him through dark places.

I pray that we have not become too sophisticated to need the Bible these days. It doesn’t do much good if it sits unused. It’s not for holding up to claim how righteous or right we are, but for opening, reading, and engaging in discussion with other people. This is a link to the scripture passages for this upcoming Sunday and every Sunday. We’ll be using Psalm 27 and Luke’s gospel, but the other readings are relevant too.

And here’s the article I quoted in my sermon on why progressive Christians should read the Bible.

Grateful to be with you on the Lenten journey,

Pastor Jessie

pastor@covenantweb.org

God of the desert,

we follow Jesus into the unknown, 

may we recognize the tempter when he comes; 

let it be your bread we eat, your world we serve, 

and you alone we worship.

New Zealand Prayer Book