Today’s post comes from a combination of two factors. The first has to do with the fact that I am simply a fanatic about the “R.M.S. Titanic”! It all started way back in my 7th grade year. We were assigned class presentations in Mrs. Zachary’s Social Studies class. A group of my classmates did a presentation on the Titanic, which in retrospect consisted of little more than them having stood in front of the class and held open an Encyclopedia Britannica to a picture of the Titanic while they related the barest rudiments of the story.
Nonetheless, I was hooked. I began to read everything I could find in our school library about this great tragedy. At the time, I assumed the remains of the ship were lost forever. However, when Robert Ballard discovered the wreck in the mid 1980’s, I was re-enthralled. Once again, I started collecting all the information about this tragic story that I could. To this day, I still record all the Titanic documentaries for which I become aware. I have also garnered quite a little collection of Titanic books along the way (not to mention a movie or two). In fact, my wife calls me a Titanic junkie!
Of course, we are now less than a year away from the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. As we approach April 15, 2012, more and more documentaries, books, trivia, memorabilia, and commemoratives will be produced. Much of it will be repetitive. Some of it will be new material. All of it will be fascinating to me.
You see, for a preacher, the story of the R.M.S. Titanic is, in many respects, the ultimate source for illustrations. In this one single, tragic event, we find virtually every component of the human circumstance portrayed, from hubris to prejudice to cowardice to sacrifice to love.
All of which brings me to my second factor. Yesterday was our Global Missions Celebration at First Baptist, Lenoir City. We entered into agreements with various Missions entities. We celebrated with them in worship, and later with a meal. Then we followed all of this last night with a wonderful worship musical titled “Into All the World”. When I got home, I was simply elated over this wonderful day.
When I finally sat down to unwind, I turned on the television and discovered, to my surprise, that a brand new two-hour documentary on the Titanic was being broadcast. As I watched this program, which was in fact full of new information on that historic “Night to Remember”, I was reminded again of the human predicament.
We are all on the ship of fate, sailing headlong into our appointment with our eternal destiny. Many are unaware of this. For them, there awaits an impending tragedy: that of stepping off into eternity unprepared to meet their God. They are blissfully “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic” as they flit away precious moments in their futile endeavors in life.
Others, hopefully, are wiser, redeeming the time, understanding as the Word of God says, that the days are few. I hope that you see the purpose of this post. We, as Christians, above all people, must recognize what is truly happening around us. We must redeem the time. We must take advantage of every God-given moment to make a difference while we can. We must cry out to a lost and dying world that death and eternity and hell are real; and also that salvation is available only to those who will act now, and receive Jesus Christ while there is still time. We must be on mission for Jesus. We must do it now. We must. We simply must.
Nonetheless, I was hooked. I began to read everything I could find in our school library about this great tragedy. At the time, I assumed the remains of the ship were lost forever. However, when Robert Ballard discovered the wreck in the mid 1980’s, I was re-enthralled. Once again, I started collecting all the information about this tragic story that I could. To this day, I still record all the Titanic documentaries for which I become aware. I have also garnered quite a little collection of Titanic books along the way (not to mention a movie or two). In fact, my wife calls me a Titanic junkie!
Of course, we are now less than a year away from the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. As we approach April 15, 2012, more and more documentaries, books, trivia, memorabilia, and commemoratives will be produced. Much of it will be repetitive. Some of it will be new material. All of it will be fascinating to me.
You see, for a preacher, the story of the R.M.S. Titanic is, in many respects, the ultimate source for illustrations. In this one single, tragic event, we find virtually every component of the human circumstance portrayed, from hubris to prejudice to cowardice to sacrifice to love.
All of which brings me to my second factor. Yesterday was our Global Missions Celebration at First Baptist, Lenoir City. We entered into agreements with various Missions entities. We celebrated with them in worship, and later with a meal. Then we followed all of this last night with a wonderful worship musical titled “Into All the World”. When I got home, I was simply elated over this wonderful day.
When I finally sat down to unwind, I turned on the television and discovered, to my surprise, that a brand new two-hour documentary on the Titanic was being broadcast. As I watched this program, which was in fact full of new information on that historic “Night to Remember”, I was reminded again of the human predicament.
We are all on the ship of fate, sailing headlong into our appointment with our eternal destiny. Many are unaware of this. For them, there awaits an impending tragedy: that of stepping off into eternity unprepared to meet their God. They are blissfully “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic” as they flit away precious moments in their futile endeavors in life.
Others, hopefully, are wiser, redeeming the time, understanding as the Word of God says, that the days are few. I hope that you see the purpose of this post. We, as Christians, above all people, must recognize what is truly happening around us. We must redeem the time. We must take advantage of every God-given moment to make a difference while we can. We must cry out to a lost and dying world that death and eternity and hell are real; and also that salvation is available only to those who will act now, and receive Jesus Christ while there is still time. We must be on mission for Jesus. We must do it now. We must. We simply must.