Introduction
What follows is an excerpted version of chapter 27 of Acts. Normally the passage I reflect in is much smaller in scope but in this reflection it is necessary to hear the story to understand the impact on me.Acts 27
When it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they handed Paul and some other prisoners over to a centurion named Julius of the Cohort Augusta. We went on board a ship from Adramyttium bound for ports in the province of Asia and set sail.
……
Much time had now passed and sailing had become hazardous because the time of the fast had already gone by, so Paul warned them, “Men, I can see that this voyage will result in severe damage and heavy loss not only to the cargo and the ship, but also to our lives.” The centurion, however, paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. Since the harbor was unfavorably situated for spending the winter, the majority planned to put out to sea from there in the hope of reaching Phoenix, a port in Crete facing west-northwest, there to spend the winter.
A south wind blew gently, and thinking they had attained their objective, they weighed anchor and sailed along close to the coast of Crete. Before long an offshore wind of hurricane force called a “Northeaster” struck. Since the ship was caught up in it and could not head into the wind we gave way and let ourselves be driven.
……
We were being pounded by the storm so violently that the next day they jettisoned some cargo, and on the third day with their own hands they threw even the ship’s tackle overboard. Neither the sun nor the stars were visible for many days, and no small storm raged. Finally, all hope of our surviving was taken away.
When many would no longer eat, Paul stood among them and said, “Men, you should have taken my advice and not have set sail from Crete and you would have avoided this disastrous loss. I urge you now to keep up your courage; not one of you will be lost, only the ship. For last night an angel of the God to whom (I) belong and whom I serve stood by me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You are destined to stand before Caesar; and behold, for your sake, God has granted safety to all who are sailing with you.’ Therefore, keep up your courage, men; I trust in God that it will turn out as I have been told. We are destined to run aground on some island.”
……
Until the day began to dawn, Paul kept urging all to take some food. He said, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been waiting, going hungry and eating nothing. I urge you, therefore, to take some food; it will help you survive. Not a hair of the head of anyone of you will be lost.” When he said this, he took bread, gave thanks to God in front of them all, broke it, and began to eat.
…….
When day came they did not recognize the land, but made out a bay with a beach. They planned to run the ship ashore on it, if they could. So they cast off the anchors and abandoned them to the sea, and at the same time they unfastened the lines of the rudders, and hoisting the foresail into the wind, they made for the beach. But they struck a sandbar and ran the ship aground. The bow was wedged in and could not be moved, but the stern began to break up under the pounding [of the waves] He [the centurion]ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to the shore, and then the rest, some on planks, others on debris from the ship. In this way, all reached shore safely.
Reflection
In the first sentence of the next and final chapter of Acts, chapter 28, we learn the island they landed on was Malta. This extended reflection got started when my cousin sent me a humorously intended text about some shared experiences we have had in Malta (Montana, not the island) and Phoenix, the city in Arizona, not the one in Mediterranean.
I understand it might seem odd that two cousins might trade a joke based upon a scripture passage but, hey, it happens because both of us are, well, Jesus freaks. And proud of it.
As is often the case in these things, what was humorous so took on a different tone. The passage is not one I have spent much time but I found myself interested in taking a deeper look so I took a top down view of the whole chapter.
The story was Paul was being sent to Rome as a prisoner. His intention was to preach to the church in Rome and bend it toward the orthodoxy he hammered out of the years of his ministry. It was also to be where his journey would end with the swing of a Roman sword. Paul may not have known the details but he could understand the larger picture. He was ready to embrace the challenges that awaited him in Rome because he was secure in his faith, so secure that he knew nothing would deflect him from his destination … and destiny.
A series of blunders endangered the ship and threatened to end the voyage and the voyagers became concerned, if not convinced, the ship was headed for the rocks and all would be lost.
Paul had another version of the future to offer. Because of the mistakes of the captain and the crew, the ship would be wrecked but because of the grace of God, no lives would be lost. I considered how I would react to the information that we would endure a ship wreck, normally a fatal experience, and survive to continue the journey to the destination? Even if my faith was secure and grounded, my anxiety would soar into the highest levels. Living through a shipwreck would be hard, terribly hard. There would be the sound and fury of the wind and wrenching sound of wood buckling and cracking. The water would feel ominously cold and the distance of the grounded ship to shore would feel endless even it was only a few feet. Once safely on land, it would necessary to find food, water and shelter. Next a search to survey their location would be needed. How would the local residents, if there were any, treat them? It was not likely they would need to fear cannibals but there were other less fearsome but equally fatal potential outcomes depending who inhabited the island. Fortunately they encountered an island populated by a very mellow folks.
The point is just knowing survival is certain is not enough for comfort. I would start a conversation with myself that would start like this, "I might make it through this alive but everything else I have will be lost." It is the same conversation I am having right now.
I know I am headed for a shipwreck. I don't know how bad things will get or what I will have to endure to be able walk off the shore into the future but I know I will survive. What else does Paul teach us? God is not far off waiting on the other side. He was with Paul every slap of the waves against the hull until they hit Italy and with him from that moment for every breath of his life until the end and that was not the end but was a new beginning.
In a previous post I talked about a crucible, a vessel of superior construction, tough enough to survive as a container for molten metal. There is another meaning to the word. Most think it derives from the Latin word cruc or cross and the image that is evoked is that when someone meets a crucible, is they meet a crucifix which implies a life and death encounter. Instead, it descends from the Latin root word, crucibulum which refers to a melting pot. To meet a crucible is to enter into a time of challenge, or intense, life altering change. It is not possible to pass through a crucible un-impacted. The question is what will remain when the heat fades, a purified precious metal or brittle shards of pot metal?
My ship is sailing into a crucible. The collision with reef seems to be inevitable but whether it founders or not, I will meet the crucible. What does that mean? The reef whether I strike it or not is not end of the journey, only a way-point. My Rome remains somewhere over the horizon. The difference between becoming rare metal or cheap tin is determined by faith, trust and reliance on God. There is no way I can steer the course. No one can.
By the time I share this with others the crucible will be in the past. I pray for an outcome derived from faith, trust and total reliance in God.
Lord, help me to learn from Paul and rely only on you.
……
We were being pounded by the storm so violently that the next day they jettisoned some cargo, and on the third day with their own hands they threw even the ship’s tackle overboard. Neither the sun nor the stars were visible for many days, and no small storm raged. Finally, all hope of our surviving was taken away.
When many would no longer eat, Paul stood among them and said, “Men, you should have taken my advice and not have set sail from Crete and you would have avoided this disastrous loss. I urge you now to keep up your courage; not one of you will be lost, only the ship. For last night an angel of the God to whom (I) belong and whom I serve stood by me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You are destined to stand before Caesar; and behold, for your sake, God has granted safety to all who are sailing with you.’ Therefore, keep up your courage, men; I trust in God that it will turn out as I have been told. We are destined to run aground on some island.”
……
Until the day began to dawn, Paul kept urging all to take some food. He said, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been waiting, going hungry and eating nothing. I urge you, therefore, to take some food; it will help you survive. Not a hair of the head of anyone of you will be lost.” When he said this, he took bread, gave thanks to God in front of them all, broke it, and began to eat.
…….
When day came they did not recognize the land, but made out a bay with a beach. They planned to run the ship ashore on it, if they could. So they cast off the anchors and abandoned them to the sea, and at the same time they unfastened the lines of the rudders, and hoisting the foresail into the wind, they made for the beach. But they struck a sandbar and ran the ship aground. The bow was wedged in and could not be moved, but the stern began to break up under the pounding [of the waves] He [the centurion]ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to the shore, and then the rest, some on planks, others on debris from the ship. In this way, all reached shore safely.
Reflection
In the first sentence of the next and final chapter of Acts, chapter 28, we learn the island they landed on was Malta. This extended reflection got started when my cousin sent me a humorously intended text about some shared experiences we have had in Malta (Montana, not the island) and Phoenix, the city in Arizona, not the one in Mediterranean.
I understand it might seem odd that two cousins might trade a joke based upon a scripture passage but, hey, it happens because both of us are, well, Jesus freaks. And proud of it.
As is often the case in these things, what was humorous so took on a different tone. The passage is not one I have spent much time but I found myself interested in taking a deeper look so I took a top down view of the whole chapter.
The story was Paul was being sent to Rome as a prisoner. His intention was to preach to the church in Rome and bend it toward the orthodoxy he hammered out of the years of his ministry. It was also to be where his journey would end with the swing of a Roman sword. Paul may not have known the details but he could understand the larger picture. He was ready to embrace the challenges that awaited him in Rome because he was secure in his faith, so secure that he knew nothing would deflect him from his destination … and destiny.
A series of blunders endangered the ship and threatened to end the voyage and the voyagers became concerned, if not convinced, the ship was headed for the rocks and all would be lost.
Paul had another version of the future to offer. Because of the mistakes of the captain and the crew, the ship would be wrecked but because of the grace of God, no lives would be lost. I considered how I would react to the information that we would endure a ship wreck, normally a fatal experience, and survive to continue the journey to the destination? Even if my faith was secure and grounded, my anxiety would soar into the highest levels. Living through a shipwreck would be hard, terribly hard. There would be the sound and fury of the wind and wrenching sound of wood buckling and cracking. The water would feel ominously cold and the distance of the grounded ship to shore would feel endless even it was only a few feet. Once safely on land, it would necessary to find food, water and shelter. Next a search to survey their location would be needed. How would the local residents, if there were any, treat them? It was not likely they would need to fear cannibals but there were other less fearsome but equally fatal potential outcomes depending who inhabited the island. Fortunately they encountered an island populated by a very mellow folks.
The point is just knowing survival is certain is not enough for comfort. I would start a conversation with myself that would start like this, "I might make it through this alive but everything else I have will be lost." It is the same conversation I am having right now.
I know I am headed for a shipwreck. I don't know how bad things will get or what I will have to endure to be able walk off the shore into the future but I know I will survive. What else does Paul teach us? God is not far off waiting on the other side. He was with Paul every slap of the waves against the hull until they hit Italy and with him from that moment for every breath of his life until the end and that was not the end but was a new beginning.
In a previous post I talked about a crucible, a vessel of superior construction, tough enough to survive as a container for molten metal. There is another meaning to the word. Most think it derives from the Latin word cruc or cross and the image that is evoked is that when someone meets a crucible, is they meet a crucifix which implies a life and death encounter. Instead, it descends from the Latin root word, crucibulum which refers to a melting pot. To meet a crucible is to enter into a time of challenge, or intense, life altering change. It is not possible to pass through a crucible un-impacted. The question is what will remain when the heat fades, a purified precious metal or brittle shards of pot metal?
My ship is sailing into a crucible. The collision with reef seems to be inevitable but whether it founders or not, I will meet the crucible. What does that mean? The reef whether I strike it or not is not end of the journey, only a way-point. My Rome remains somewhere over the horizon. The difference between becoming rare metal or cheap tin is determined by faith, trust and reliance on God. There is no way I can steer the course. No one can.
By the time I share this with others the crucible will be in the past. I pray for an outcome derived from faith, trust and total reliance in God.
Lord, help me to learn from Paul and rely only on you.
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