SHIP!

That’s a restored Chinese junk, one of the most successful exemplars of sailing vessels ever. This one is in Malacca Town, in the state of Malacca, in Malaysia, where I happened to be, a couple of weeks ago. The junk was one of the reasons for the fact that Malaysia is now about 25% Chinese. Ships have undoubtedly played important roles in people movements and world history.

For Christians, the “ship” has been an age-old symbol of the church—the body of believers—tossed about on a less than amiable world, hassled often, intimidated frequently, persecuted periodically. The metaphor goes back to the time of Noah and his family, saved in the ark, through water.

… the patience of God
kept waiting in the days of Noah,
during the construction of the ark,
in which a few, that is, eight persons,
were brought safely through the water.
Corresponding to that,
baptism now saves you …
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 3:20–21

The idea is, indeed, ancient. Tertullian (ca. 160–ca. 220 AD), a Church Father, talked about it:

… the apostles

then served the turn of baptism
when in their little ship,
were ... covered with the waves ….
… that little ship
did present a figure of the Church,
in that she is disquieted
“in the sea,”
that is, in the world,
“by the waves,”
that is, by persecutions and temptations;
the Lord, through patience,
sleeping as it were,
until, roused in their last extremities
by the prayers of the saints,
He checks the world,
and restores tranquility to His own.
On Baptism, XII

So also another worthy, Clement of Alexandria (ca. 150–215 AD):

And let our seals be either a dove,
or a fish, or a ship

scudding before the wind,
… or a ship’s anchor,

… and if there be one fishing,
he will remember the apostle,
and the children drawn out of the water.
The Pedagogue, III, 11

That the mast of these vessels forms a cross must certainly have stimulated the Christian imagination as well. Later, the “ship” motif became, literally, part of church architecture. Ancient (and modern) cathedrals and churches often have, as the main portion of their structure, a “nave” (related to “naval” and pertaining to ships—in Latin, “navis”), that section of the building that resembles an upside down ship.

As Tertullian alluded, significant to this theme also is the incident in Mark 4, when Jesus, in a boat, stilled a dangerous storm before the terrified disciples.

And He got up and rebuked the wind
and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.”
And the wind died down
and it became perfectly calm.
Mark 4:39

Jesus’ subsequent question to the disciples is poignant, and ought to echo in the hearts of believers today.

And He said to them,
“Why are you afraid?”
Mark 4:40

Why, indeed? No waters can swallow the ship where lies the Master of oceans, of earths, of skies.

That’s the basis of the hymn masterfully created by Edward Hopper (1816–1888):

Jesus, Savior, pilot me
Over life's tempestuous sea;
Unknown waves before me roll,
Hiding rock and treacherous shoal.
Chart and compass come from thee;
Jesus, Savior, pilot me.

When at last I near the shore,
And the fearful breakers roar
‘Twixt me and the peaceful rest,
Then, while leaning on thy breast,
May I hear thee say to me,
“Fear not, I will pilot thee.”

The shore is near. Arrival is nigh. Only a few more days of turbulence, tempests, trials, and tribulation. The Lord is with us. Why fear?

RETURN!

Last Thursday, I was getting back home from a trip abroad, making a connection in Seoul, S. Korea. Flying into the west coast of the US crossing the international dateline does funny things to your clock. My Korean Airlines flight left Seoul on Thursday at 9:50 am, and I arrived in Dallas at 8:50 am … on the same day! In other words, I practically got to my destination before I left! Time travel! (Needless to say, I’m still getting over the ill effects of that odd journey “back in time.”)

I’ve often wished I could do that in actuality—bid time return. There are times when we’ve all wished for that gift. Ye olde Bard penned those immortal words.

“O, call back yesterday, bid time return.”
Shakespeare, 1597 (Richard II, Act III, Scene 2)

The good Bard and we aren’t alone in wishing time be turned back. Indeed, God, too, desires we “return”—a form of time travel! In the mouths of God’s spokespersons, the Hebrew prophets, šûb (“return”) was a popular word, as they called upon their audiences to reject their wayward ways. Return to God, they pled, petitioned, and persuaded.

“Yet even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to Me with all your heart,
and with fasting, weeping and mourning;
and rend your heart and not your garments.”
Joel 2:12

We must return to a clean slate often—“go back in time”—for we humans have an inherent tendency to drift and meander far, far from God.

All of us like sheep have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way.
Isaiah 53:6

Or as the hymn writer put it …

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love.
Robert Robinson, 1758

A return to God, a heartfelt turning back, a repentant time travel, is essential—frequently. Here’s the prophet Joel in full …

“Yet even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to Me with all your heart,
and with fasting, weeping and mourning;
and rend your heart and not your garments.”
Now return to the LORD your God,
for He is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness
and relenting of evil.
Joel 2:12–13

Those were not arbitrary words chosen by Joel to describe the God of love. In fact, this depiction of YHWH, first noted in Exodus 34:6 when God gave the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai, attained idiomatic status, and recurs time and again in the Scriptures.

The LORD, the LORD God,
compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, and
abounding in lovingkindness ….
Exodus 34:6

(and Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 103:8; Jonah 4:2)

This is why a return is possible; this is why a return is advisable; and this is why a return is profitable.

Come, let us return to the LORD.
For He has torn us, but He will heal us;
He has wounded us, but He will bandage us.
Hosea 6:1

We return because our God is a forgiving God.

Let the wicked forsake his way
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
and let him return to the LORD,
and He will have compassion on him, …
for He will abundantly pardon.
Isaiah 55:7

This return, one of repentance, therefore quickly turns to one of exultation as the “returner” is restored. Time travel, indeed!

So the ransomed of the LORD will return
and come with joyful shouting to Zion,
and everlasting joy will be on their heads.
They will obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
Isaiah 51:11

Let’s go back, shall we? Travel in time!

DESSERT!

This week Dallas Seminary conducted its World Evangelization Conference, a yearly event “designed to assist our students in answering how they will engage in the Great Commission,” with the prayer “that God would inspire future mission-goers and mission-senders.” The entire Seminary essentially shut down all normal academic operations for the entire week. Several missionaries and mission agencies were on campus, conducting seminars and workshops, in addition to the daily plenary and worship sessions.

It began Monday evening, with the International Dessert Night. DTS students, representing 50 odd countries, put on a gala affair to appease even the most insatiable sweet tooth. A few days before this, the organizer of this event had asked me if I would be a judge (along with fellow-prof, Gordon) at this highly calorific and gastronomically delectable occasion. Yessssss! Bliss! Now I had a perfectly legitimate excuse for pigging out. In fact, I volunteered to be the judge every year for the next two decades. (By then, I’ll probably be in ill health as a result of this reckless luxuriation in culinary negligence. But, hey, I can die happy!)

Anyways, there I was, with Gordon. Boy, oh, boy! Desserts from every corner of the globe with exotic names and exquisite tastes.

Why is it that all that tastes good is bad for you?

And that includes sin. One must confess: sin is tasty. If it weren’t, it wouldn’t be so attractive.

By faith Moses, when he had grown up,
refused to be called
the son of Pharaoh's daughter,
choosing rather to endure ill-treatment
with the people of God
than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,
considering the reproach of Christ
greater riches than the treasures of Egypt;
for he was looking to the reward.
Hebrews 11:24–26

Yes, those shiny things of Egypt are “treasures.” Yes, sin is pleasurable, gratifying, attractive and, perhaps, “beautiful.”

That is why it is important to grasp and cling on to something more beautiful than sin.

One thing I have asked from the LORD,
that I shall seek:
That I may dwell
in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the LORD
and to meditate in His temple.
Psalm 27:4

For if we haven’t seen the beauty of God, sin will be far more beautiful to us. Only when we have gazed upon God’s magnificence, will sin’s allure dissipate.

Augustine’s lines are worth repeating:

Too late have I loved you,
O Beauty so ancient and so new,
too late have I loved you!
Behold, you were within me,
while I was outside:
it was there that I sought you, and,
in my unloveliness, rushed headlong
upon these lovely things
which you have made.
Augustine, Confessions

Far too long we have been running after the “sweet,” the “beautiful,” and the immediately “gratifying,” not realizing that the pleasures of the world are only distant echoes of One who is fairer, sweeter, and eternally rewarding.

All fairest beauty, heavenly and earthly,
Wondrously, Jesus, is found in Thee;
None can be nearer, fairer or dearer,
Than Thou, my Savior, art to me.
Joseph A. Seiss, 1873

You are fairer than the sons of men ….
Psalm 45:2

Let us remember that in the light of the beauty of this King, all else fades!

I count all things to be loss
in view of the surpassing value
of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord …
and count them but rubbish
so that I may gain Christ.
Philippians 3:8

May we not have to say in regret: “Too late, have I loved You.”

ENGAGE!

Hemoglobin is a molecule of special interest to us humans—this iron-containing protein molecule in the blood keeps us alive. By binding oxygen via its four heme groups, this molecule becomes, indeed, the molecule of life. It picks up this precious gas in the lungs and releases it to needy tissues.

Hemoglobin, I declare, is of theological interest for the period of the church calendar called Lent—that 6–7-week season before Easter, when the church reflects on the reason why the redemptive passion of Jesus Christ was necessary: our sin! Lent has, therefore, traditionally been a time of focus upon the spiritual disciplines—the giving up of, or abstinence from, certain activities to train us toward godliness: solitude, silence, fasting, frugality, celibacy, secrecy, sacrifice.

… I discipline my body
and make it my slave ….
1 Corinthians 9:27

Which brings us back to hemoglobin and its “theology.” The lethal gas, carbon monoxide, can bind the heme group more avidly than can oxygen, thus effectively negating hemoglobin’s oxygen-carrying capacity. And that means … death!

In other words, abstinence is not good enough. Lest an addictive “carbon monoxide” fill the gap, the disciplines of abstinence must be counterbalanced by disciplines of engagement—those actions that bring our embodied selves into alignment with God’s order.

This Lent may I suggest a discipline of engagement or two?

Study: Engagement in the study of the Word of God.

… continue in the things you have learned
… the sacred writings which are
able to give you the wisdom
that leads to salvation through faith
which is in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:14–15

If you haven’t done it recently, try reading through the Bible in a year. It takes only 70 hours to read it the whole way through in one sitting. The average person in the US watches that much TV in just 3 weeks!

Celebration: Engage in celebration and enjoy life and enjoy the world, as we see all of this as God’s gift to us from the bounty of His goodness. Do this with friends—eating, enjoying, and sharing how God has been good to you.

Thou hast turned for me
my mourning into dancing;
Thou hast loosed my sackcloth
and girded me with gladness;
that my soul may sing praise to Thee,
and not be silent.
Psalm 30:11–12

Service: By engaging in this discipline we train ourselves away from self-focus, and self-gratification, as we serve others selflessly, without agenda, for no reward. Serve someone for at least 30 minutes each week.

… whoever wishes
to become great among you
shall be your servant ….
Mark 10:43

Prayer: This Lent, if you choose this discipline, spend 30 minutes a week in prayer with one other person. Or catch your church’s weekly prayer meeting.

Devote yourselves to prayer.
Colossians 4:2

Fellowship: The Christian life requires regular, profound fellowship with others, being accountable. So, this Lent, find an accountability partner. Spend at least 30 minutes with that person each week. And ask one another whether the disciplines you commit to are being practiced.

… let us consider
how to stimulate one another
to love and good deeds,
not forsaking
our own assembling together ….
Hebrews 10:24

Don’t let the carbon monoxide get you. Complement abstinence with engagement as you go through Lent and prepare for the grand event of Easter.

… discipline yourself
for the purpose of godliness;
... godliness is profitable for all things,
since it holds promise for the present life
and also for the life to come.
Timothy 4:7–8

Abstain and engage!