Amidst the multitudes of headlines vying for our attention this week in the lead up to Christmas, one in particular caught my eye: “Cruise Ship Hit by Rogue Wave during Storm, Loses Ability to Navigate”.
The article, which appeared on www.FOXBusiness.com, was written by Aislinn Murphy with the help of Reuters. To summarize:
A cruise ship was en route to Tilbury, England, from Florø, Norway, when a rogue wave hit it, causing the vessel to temporarily lose power. The MS Maud, which was built two decades ago, weighs more than 16,100 gross tons and spans 445 feet in length and can carry up to 570 people.
While sailing roughly 120 miles off Denmark's west coast and roughly 185 off Britain's east coast, strong winds blasted windows on the bridge of the vessel, allowing water to enter and resulting in a power failure on the bridge, according to the Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre.
Fortunately, all 266 passengers and 131 crew members are now safe. Support vessels are working with the ship as it continues to head toward the port city of Bremerhaven in northern Germany for disembarkation. A Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre official reports that another ship was assisting with a tow.
Now, for my part, I’m glad that everyone is now okay. Far too many a ship and far too many more a person have been lost to the vicissitudes of the sea. And while it is true that hundreds of individuals had their Christmas week plans interrupted and that the cruise ship company has a major repair on its hands, these things are of little consequence in comparison to what might have the case. All in all, if it had to happen, things turned out as best as could be hoped.
Still, as I read the story, I could not help but see the relevance to what happened in this story and to the events commemorated in the week it happened. Allow me to explain…
In Genesis chapters 1 and 2, the Bible tells us that God created men and women in His image, and then placed them in this world, setting them off on the path He intended them to travel. But no sooner had this unfolded than we read in Genesis chapter 3 that men and women were blindsided by a deadly tidal wave of sin that put them out of commission and prevented them from reaching the wonderful destination had in mind for them.
Hence, the need for Christmas! For knowing our plight, God came to our rescue. He did this in the Person of His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ, Who, according to the New Testament Gospel of John (chapter 3, verse 17) came into the world as a little babe, not to condemn the world, but ultimately to save the world through Him.
Thus it is that the Apostle Paul tells us (in his Second New Testament Letter to the Corinthians (chapter 5, verse 19) that “God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them”.
And it was for this very reason that the angel who appeared to Joseph in the first chapter of the New Testament Gospel of Matthew (verse 21) told Joseph that Mary would give birth to a son, and that he was to give that son the name Jesus, “because he will save his people from their sins.”
The New Testament term here translated as “Jesus” is the Koine Greek term “Iésous”, which itself is the transliteration of the Old Testament Hebrew term, “Yehoshua” (Jehoshua), contracted to “Joshua” which means “Yahweh saves” (or “Yahweh is salvation”).
I’m quite positive the 397 souls aboard the MS Maud were overjoyed to see a rescue ship from the “Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre” arrive on the scene. I’m equally sure they were thrilled when that ship threw the MS Maud and all aboard a life-line in the form of tow-rope. As a result, their danger was overcome and their salvation was secured.
In like manner, that first Christmas, God was all about reconciling the world to Himself through Christ. He saw our distress; He sent forth His Son; and He threw us a life-line! Only this was not for the salvation of our mere physical bodies, but rather for that of our eternal souls!
And now, as the Apostle John puts it: “To as many as received him, he gave the power to become the children of God!” In other words (as John later puts it, in chapter 10, verse 10), to have life, and to have it both abundantly and eternally!
I conclude with the words of the hymn writer of old, who was moved of God to compose these well-known lyrics:
This is the lifeline, oh, tempest-tossed men,
Baffled by waves of temptation and sin;
Wild winds of passion, your strength cannot brave,
But Jesus is mighty, and Jesus can save.
Jesus is able! To you who are driv’n
Farther and farther from God and from Heav’n,
Helpless and hopeless, o’erwhelmed by the wave,
We throw out the lifeline—’tis, “Jesus can save.”
This is the lifeline, oh, grasp it today!
See, you are recklessly drifting away;
Voices in warning, shout over the wave,
Oh, grasp the strong lifeline, for Jesus can save.
And thus, once again, this Christmas, we who are followers of Christ, “Throw out the lifeline! Throw out the lifeline!”
And why do we do this? Because “Someone is drifting away.” Yes, we “Throw out the lifeline! Throw out the lifeline!” Because “Someone is sinking today.”
STORY SOURCE:
https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/cruise-ship-hit-by-rogue-wave-during-storm-loses-ability-navigate.
SCRIPTURE SOURCES:
https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/1.htm;
https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/2.htm;
https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/3.htm;
https://biblehub.com/john/3-17.htm;
https://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/5-19.htm;
https://biblehub.com/matthew/1-21.htm;
https://biblehub.com/john/1-12.htm;
https://biblehub.com/john/10-10.htm.
GREEK/HEBREW WORD STUDY SOURCE:
https://biblehub.com/greek/2424.htm.
HYMN SOURCE:
https://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Throw_Out_the_Lifeline/.
The article, which appeared on www.FOXBusiness.com, was written by Aislinn Murphy with the help of Reuters. To summarize:
A cruise ship was en route to Tilbury, England, from Florø, Norway, when a rogue wave hit it, causing the vessel to temporarily lose power. The MS Maud, which was built two decades ago, weighs more than 16,100 gross tons and spans 445 feet in length and can carry up to 570 people.
While sailing roughly 120 miles off Denmark's west coast and roughly 185 off Britain's east coast, strong winds blasted windows on the bridge of the vessel, allowing water to enter and resulting in a power failure on the bridge, according to the Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre.
Fortunately, all 266 passengers and 131 crew members are now safe. Support vessels are working with the ship as it continues to head toward the port city of Bremerhaven in northern Germany for disembarkation. A Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre official reports that another ship was assisting with a tow.
Now, for my part, I’m glad that everyone is now okay. Far too many a ship and far too many more a person have been lost to the vicissitudes of the sea. And while it is true that hundreds of individuals had their Christmas week plans interrupted and that the cruise ship company has a major repair on its hands, these things are of little consequence in comparison to what might have the case. All in all, if it had to happen, things turned out as best as could be hoped.
Still, as I read the story, I could not help but see the relevance to what happened in this story and to the events commemorated in the week it happened. Allow me to explain…
In Genesis chapters 1 and 2, the Bible tells us that God created men and women in His image, and then placed them in this world, setting them off on the path He intended them to travel. But no sooner had this unfolded than we read in Genesis chapter 3 that men and women were blindsided by a deadly tidal wave of sin that put them out of commission and prevented them from reaching the wonderful destination had in mind for them.
Hence, the need for Christmas! For knowing our plight, God came to our rescue. He did this in the Person of His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ, Who, according to the New Testament Gospel of John (chapter 3, verse 17) came into the world as a little babe, not to condemn the world, but ultimately to save the world through Him.
Thus it is that the Apostle Paul tells us (in his Second New Testament Letter to the Corinthians (chapter 5, verse 19) that “God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them”.
And it was for this very reason that the angel who appeared to Joseph in the first chapter of the New Testament Gospel of Matthew (verse 21) told Joseph that Mary would give birth to a son, and that he was to give that son the name Jesus, “because he will save his people from their sins.”
The New Testament term here translated as “Jesus” is the Koine Greek term “Iésous”, which itself is the transliteration of the Old Testament Hebrew term, “Yehoshua” (Jehoshua), contracted to “Joshua” which means “Yahweh saves” (or “Yahweh is salvation”).
I’m quite positive the 397 souls aboard the MS Maud were overjoyed to see a rescue ship from the “Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre” arrive on the scene. I’m equally sure they were thrilled when that ship threw the MS Maud and all aboard a life-line in the form of tow-rope. As a result, their danger was overcome and their salvation was secured.
In like manner, that first Christmas, God was all about reconciling the world to Himself through Christ. He saw our distress; He sent forth His Son; and He threw us a life-line! Only this was not for the salvation of our mere physical bodies, but rather for that of our eternal souls!
And now, as the Apostle John puts it: “To as many as received him, he gave the power to become the children of God!” In other words (as John later puts it, in chapter 10, verse 10), to have life, and to have it both abundantly and eternally!
I conclude with the words of the hymn writer of old, who was moved of God to compose these well-known lyrics:
This is the lifeline, oh, tempest-tossed men,
Baffled by waves of temptation and sin;
Wild winds of passion, your strength cannot brave,
But Jesus is mighty, and Jesus can save.
Jesus is able! To you who are driv’n
Farther and farther from God and from Heav’n,
Helpless and hopeless, o’erwhelmed by the wave,
We throw out the lifeline—’tis, “Jesus can save.”
This is the lifeline, oh, grasp it today!
See, you are recklessly drifting away;
Voices in warning, shout over the wave,
Oh, grasp the strong lifeline, for Jesus can save.
And thus, once again, this Christmas, we who are followers of Christ, “Throw out the lifeline! Throw out the lifeline!”
And why do we do this? Because “Someone is drifting away.” Yes, we “Throw out the lifeline! Throw out the lifeline!” Because “Someone is sinking today.”
STORY SOURCE:
https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/cruise-ship-hit-by-rogue-wave-during-storm-loses-ability-navigate.
SCRIPTURE SOURCES:
https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/1.htm;
https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/2.htm;
https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/3.htm;
https://biblehub.com/john/3-17.htm;
https://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/5-19.htm;
https://biblehub.com/matthew/1-21.htm;
https://biblehub.com/john/1-12.htm;
https://biblehub.com/john/10-10.htm.
GREEK/HEBREW WORD STUDY SOURCE:
https://biblehub.com/greek/2424.htm.
HYMN SOURCE:
https://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Throw_Out_the_Lifeline/.