Life Preserver

     Sunday evening April 14, 1912 was a calm, clear night. Standing on the bridge of the mighty Titanic, the ship’s crew witnessed an awe-inspiring spectacle. Stars sparkled like diamonds against the velvet backdrop of the heavens. Below deck, saloons and smoking rooms contained merrily entertained passengers. Staterooms held deep-sleeping passengers such as John Jacob Astor, one of the world’s wealthiest men. 

    All was well aboard the Titanic for “not even God could sink that mighty vessel” with its fifteen watertight steel compartments. No need to fear. 2,340 passengers, twenty lifeboats with a capacity of about 1,100 – far more than would ever be needed. 

     Earlier that day, the German steamship Amerika radioed a warning reporting large icebergs directly in the Titanic’s proposed path. Despite this warning she forged ahead at her normal operating speed of about twenty-six miles per hour. The alarm rang. The snooze button was hit.

     Sometime after 11:15 p.m., lookouts in the Titanic’s crow’s nest thought they spotted an iceberg off the bow. They telephoned the bridge to relay the information but no immediate answer was forthcoming. Two or three minutes passed before an officer on the bridge even answered the lookouts’ call. What could have been so important that kept the phone from being answered? Alarm #2 went unheeded. 

     Too late. One does not alter the course of an 882-foot long ocean liner as if it were a Porsche handling hairpin turns. The movement of the Titanic was so imperceptible that the passengers didn’t even know evasive action was taking place. At 11:40 p.m. the iceberg began shredding the underside of the Titanic as if she were a tin can. Water poured into the ‘air-tight’ compartments and the unthinkable scenario began.

      Alarm #3 was sounded: “Within a few minutes stewards and other members of the crew were sent round to arouse the people. Some utterly refused to get up. The stewards had almost to force the doors of the staterooms to make the somnolent appreciate their peril, and many of them, it is believed, were drowned like rats in a trap.”[1]

     The same fate seemingly could have fallen upon Joseph and Mary along with their precious passenger – Jesus. The John Jacob Astor’s of their world had just visited Joseph and Mary in their Bethlehem stateroom. Magi from the east had come on their maiden voyage bringing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, bowing down and worshipping Jesus. How could they perceive an iceberg named Herod sought to block the child’s path to his destination?

     Then the lookout from on high sounded out the alarm.

     “When they [the Magi] had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘Get up,’ he said, ‘take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.’ So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord said through the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’”  (Matthew 2:13-15)

     The angel did not need to repeatedly pound on the door to get Joseph’s attention. Herod was on the move. Joseph leapt into action. He “got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt.” Immediate obedience in the face of an unexpected warning. 

     Unfortunately, Montreal banker H.J. Allison onboard the Titanic did not follow in Joseph’s footsteps. Rather, he “laughed at the warning, and his wife, reassured by him, took her time dressing. They and their daughter did not reach the Carpathia [the vessel which rescued the survivors]. Their son, less than two years old, was carried into a life-boat by his nurse.”[2]

     Many of the families aboard the Titanic were not so fortunate. Not only were the number of lifeboats pitifully inadequate, but also the individual boats themselves were ill equipped. In spite of all these miscues, 705 passengers managed to survive. The other 1,635 perished in icy graves. One would have hoped for a much greater survival ratio from the invincible Titanic.

     Yet, the survival rate for the children in Bethlehem was even worse.  The best preparation on high assured that the life of the child Jesus would be spared. Yet his peers were not so fortunate. 

     “When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: ‘A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.’” (vs. 16-18) 

      The Titanic’s survival rate was over 30%. Bethlehem’s was dismal in comparison.  Due to the small population of Bethlehem, most scholars estimate that there may have been as few as twenty children who died due to Herod’s rage. If this is accurate, only 5% survived the crushing blow of Herod bearing down upon Bethlehem, tearing open the hulls of many a human heart.

     “After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.’ So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: ‘He will be called a Nazarene.’”  (vs. 19-23)

     Three warnings sent from God. Three immediate acts of obedience. God has sounded an alarm for you also. The Judgment Day will come. You are either for Jesus or against him…no middle ground. He is the Lifeboat! If you have heeded the alarm, are you sounding it for others to hear?

   Prayer

“Heavenly Father, we praise your name. We stand in awe that throughout history you have sought to communicate clearly with mankind. Help us to drink deeply from the well of your Word so that our feet will stay upon the straight and narrow path. When we encounter your commands for our lives, help us to imitate Joseph, who did not question. Rather, he ‘got up’ and obeyed immediately. Help us to trust that you have our best in mind. Help us to have faith in your future grace when we read the words in Scripture, ‘and so was fulfilled.’ What a glorious truth – you are the Promise Keeper. From Genesis to Revelation your Word proves this. Help us to remember that no one, not even a person as wicked as Herod, can thwart your will. Your plans are from eternity past. Yet, we still need daily doses of peace and assurance as we see the black-hearted wickedness that entangles this world, and mires our own hearts all-too-often. Help us to remember your trustworthiness when we see devastation and pain that make no sense to us. What must it have been like for Joseph and Mary to hear of the slaughter of the innocent boys in Bethlehem – especially knowing it was meant for Jesus? This world is not our home. We are aliens and tenants. Help us to live rightly, for we often love this world more than we treasure you. Help us to live such good lives before men that they see our good works and give glory to you, our Father in heaven.” Ω

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[1] Caplan, Bruce M. (Editor); The Sinking of the Titanic – 1912 Survivor Accounts. Bellevue, WA: Seattle Miracle Press, 1997, p. 50.

[2] Ibid.

Worship Jesus or War Against Him

     Ever chasing the sun, they headed west. Days blending together like raindrops descending from a cloudburst – one indistinguishable from the rest. Forging ahead. Never knowing how much longer.

    But today seems different. 

     As they stop for a much-needed late afternoon rest, gentle breezes caress their faces. Even the swaying palm trees seem to be waving their fronds in expectation of the night ahead. Dusk begins pulling down the shades on the landscape. Trees begin morphing into silhouettes on the horizon. Necks crane, eyes squint looking for the sign that will lead them.

     Silence enshrouds them in the moonlit night.

     “There it is!” one of them shouts, jumping and pointing with the enthusiasm of a child chasing a butterfly. A blinding light bursts forth, calling the weary travelers to follow. Fists punch the air in jubilation. Heads bow in adoration. The men push on, following the star like none they’d ever seen.

     “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.’” (Matthew 2:1-2)

     Searching the skies, these men diligently sought a sign that would lead them to this King. There prevailed throughout the entire East at this time an intense conviction, based upon ancient prophecies, that a powerful monarch would soon arise in Judea and rule the entire world. Could this Jewish King be the One? When the never-before-seen star crested the horizon, the Magi meticulously planned their journey to Judea. 

     But their question stirred up a hornet’s nest of activity throughout the royal city.

     “When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.” (v. 3)

     Herod fumed and fussed when the news reached his ears. His heart thumped in his chest, his head throbbed, and the arteries bulged in his neck. “King of the Jews? Do they not know who I am?” He winced at the Magi’s question. If the stars were signaling the birth of another “King of the Jews,” that led Herod to only one conclusion. The same star signaled his demise!

     Fear spread through the city like a wildfire cutting through the forest. The hushed whispers combined and grew to a roaring flame. Ashen faces recalled Herod’s past reactions to anyone challenging his authority. Hotspots still remained.

     Like a rattlesnake slithering out from its lair, fangs carrying stored winter venom, Herod struck fear into the people. His ascent to the palace was along a bloodstained path. Herod executed anyone who resisted his rule – his own wife, her uncle, his own sons, members of the Sanhedrin, nameless Jews by the hundreds. No one was safe.

     When he [Herod] had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’” (vs. 4-6)

     With a slight stirring of his rattle, Herod called together the religious leaders and teachers to find out where to dispatch his venom. Without their knowledge, he would remain coiled not knowing where to strike. The religious leaders wanted to make sure the venom hit its intended target rather than recoil upon them.

     “Bethlehem, hmm.” With the inquiry complete, Herod summarily dismissed the religious cadre with a wave of his hand.

     Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” (vs. 7-8)

     Tightly coiled, Herod readied his fangs. Naively the Magi provided the usurper with the first chance to strike. “So the child is less than two years old.” Not content with this knowledge, however, Herod desired to know the exact identity of the child. Sinking the fangs deep into the flesh of this little one would save his throne – at the cost of his soul. 

     “After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.”  (vs. 9-10)

     The pagan Magi traveled hundreds of miles and pressed on in a joyous procession to worship the King of the Jews. Meanwhile, the blind chief priests and teachers of the law, who had always had the location at their fingertips, didn’t make the five-mile journey when they heard of the King’s birth!

     “On coming to the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” (v. 11)

     What questions must have flowed through their minds as they approached the house?  “Why is Herod in the capital city, dressed in fine clothing, and surrounded by excessive wealth – and the King of the Jews is living in this comparative hovel? And why isn’t anyone else here? If Herod really cared, why didn’t he just come with us?”

     Yet their lack of answers did not keep them from acting wisely. They proceeded into the house, fell upon their faces, and worshipped the King, presenting Him with the finest gifts from their homeland.

     Their journey complete, their joy unbridled, the Magi turned to go home. “And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.” (v. 12)…The snake would have to stay coiled awhile longer.

   Prayer

“Lord Jesus, thank you for breaking into history and being born in Bethlehem just as the prophecies foretold. Your unwavering character as the Promise Keeper gives us hope and assurance when we search your Word. You constantly affirm the reliability of the Scriptures by giving us historical references to times, places, and people that can be confirmed by outside sources. Grant us wisdom and discernment to know how to use these to help the world understand that the Bible is not a fairy tale. Heavenly Father, your ways truly are above our ways. First you use shepherds, then a couple of elderly ‘lay’ people, then Gentiles to proclaim the birth of Your Son, the Messiah. Please help us to see how you want us to proclaim that same truth today. Do not allow us to be mired in comfortable traditions when you are seeking to do a new thing to reach the world around us. Use us too! Grant us the courage, the desire, and the passion to proceed like the Magi who traveled far from their homeland to worship you. How much more should we, who have been given the full revelation of Scripture, be willing to go when you call? Help us to hear your voice, see any ‘signs’ you have placed in our pathways, so that we will be walking in tandem with you. Forgive us for times when we are no different than Herod or ‘all Jerusalem.’ We, too, become disturbed because you rock our comfortable worlds and show us how, selfish rather than selfless, we are. Help us to avoid the complacency of the religious leaders who knew where you were, but failed to act upon your revealed knowledge. Grant us eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to follow only you. Holy Spirit, help us to hold fast, believing you will guide us where we are to go, when we are to go, and how we are to go – be it across the living room, across the street, across the town, or across the world. And let our joy overflow like the Magi as we follow you. Lord Jesus, we bow before you in humble adoration. We lay our time, talents, and treasures at your feet. Please accept our offerings and grant us direction on how to travel throughout this day – and throughout our lives. Ω

Duty or Delight?

     After months forging their way through the pounding surf of the unforgiving high seas, Hernando Cortez and his men triumphantly stood on the shores of Mexico. Planting the Spanish flag on the beachhead, they proceeded to unload the ships’ supplies. The Aztec Empire and their storied hoard of gold lay ahead. Daydreams of returning home to Spain vanished. Mutinous ponderings from days earlier ceased instantly.

    Cortez left them no choice.

     “Burn the ships!” he commanded. What nature had failed to do on the arduous voyage from Spain, Cortez accomplished with several well-placed torches. Eleven fire-engulfed, smoke-encased, flame-crackling ships vanished into the air and beneath the ocean’s depths. No turning back. Cortez understood the definition of duty. He left his men no choice.

     Cortezian commitments, however, are not what God desires. There was no forced servitude for Joseph or Mary either. They chose to follow from the beginning. “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary had answered. “May it be to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38).  Even when the skies darkened and the seas billowed in anger, Joseph and Mary continually chose to push on. 

     “On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived. When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord’), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: ‘a pair of doves or two young pigeons.’”(Luke 2:21-24)

    The trustworthiness of God’s Word, the Law of the Lord, lit the fuse that sparked the fire in this couple’s hearts long ago. The angels’ earlier appearances stoked the flames of joy-filled, willing obedience:

     1.  Jesus was circumcised. 

     2.  He was named ‘Jesus.’ 

     3.  Mary was purified through the offering of a pair of birds

     4.  Jesus was presented/consecrated unto the Lord. 

     Mary and Joseph needed no forced march to follow the Lord’s commands. Cortez wished he could have counted on his men to make such whole-hearted commitments. The closer the fire burns to the heart, the higher the odds of such dedication.

     “That’s great,” you may say. “But I haven’t had angels telling me what to do. Is it realistic to think that I could or should have such whole-hearted conviction that leads to immediate obedience? To be in a place where obedience is a delight?”

     “Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout.  He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. Then the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: ‘Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.’ The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.” (Vs. 25-33)

     What prompted Simeon’s commitment? He was “righteous and devout,” and “the Holy Spirit was upon him.” The prophet Isaiah foretold of a Messiah who would come and comfort His people – a Messiah that would also be a light to the Gentiles. No angelic appearances spurred on this time-tested veteran. The Word was Simeon’s foundation, the Holy Spirit His guide. Obedience to the Law and the Spirit called this meeting to order. Is it any different for you? Do you have the Word and the Spirit as your guide?

     “Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: ‘This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (V. 34-35)

     Feel another wave crash against the hull of the couple’s faith. The joyous occasion was dampened by a squall arising in the distance. Not all would rejoice at the birth of this child. Not all would worship him as the Messiah, the Redeemer of mankind.

     What about you? Do you rejoice at the birth of the Christ-child? Or has age zapped you of that passion? You may be saying, “I’m not young anymore like Joseph and Mary. My strength has long since departed. The once-roaring fire carries more smoke than flames skyward these days. Let the young ones do the work. What value do I have?  Aren’t these my golden years, my time to relax and enjoy?”

     There’s no such thing as retirement in God’s kingdom. Consider Anna’s life:

     “There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.  She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them [Mary and Joseph] at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking

     This woman was in her Golden Years, yet actively seeking to advance the Kingdom of God. Whether you are male or female, young or old, the Lord delights in your service and he wants you to also delight in serving him. But never forget that you are not the source who fuels the flame of delight: ‘…it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure’ (Philippians 2:13).  Follow the Flame and join the sacred dance!

   Prayer

“Holy Spirit, place a fire in our souls that ignites a desire to always obey your Word out of a joy-filled delight, not a dour, drudge-filled duty. Help us to be like Joseph and Mary who obeyed your Law and your messengers without hesitation. Open our eyes that we, too, may see wonderful things in your law. Let it be that your statutes are our delight and our counselors. Teach us, O Lord, to follow your decrees; then we will keep them to the end. We want to be like Simeon who never lost hope in your promises. Father, help us to be righteous and devout like Simeon – joyfully, expectantly walking in your ways. We praise your holy name that we, too, have the Holy Spirit upon us. Forgive us for walking blindly along so many times each day. Bind Satan as he seeks to distract us with the stuff, hurry, noise, and trinkets of this world. Grant us ears to hear you, eyes to see you, and hearts to move where you lead, Holy Spirit. Help us to remember that your salvation is for all people. Your desire is for it to reach far beyond where we live. Lord Jesus, help us to see how you want us to participate in evangelizing the nations. And help us to not be surprised when the thoughts of some hearts reveal their animosity towards you. Though many are called, few will follow. Grant us hearts like Anna’s that we might passionately worship you night and day for our lifetimes. Show us how to do that in the midst of our day-to-day lives. Draw us close to you. Never let us go.” Ω