A Pastor’s Perspective

“Titanic Hope” by Mike Hill, pastor of Calvary Chapel Aberdeen (mjhill@ida.net)

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     Did you know that my discoveries in the field of combustion greatly advanced the development of the gasoline engine?  I graduated from Cornell University with a degree in mechanical engineering.  My name is Edgar Joseph Meyer.  Well, it was on Friday afternoon.  We went to the Titanic exhibit in Idaho Falls as a family and the ticket that I received had this information on it.  I’ve always been intrigued about this tragic story and the massive and impressive tour at the museum increased my interest even more.  The artifacts are interesting.  The photographs are illuminating.  However, the most intriguing part was the human interest stories about real people who were forced to respond to a real tragedy.  The Titanic usually conjures up images of hopelessness and death.  Yet, in the midst of this disaster there arose hope.

     Some people responded in a selfish way.  Though the call was for women and children first, a man who worked for the Titanic, the director of White Star Line, forced his way into a lifeboat ahead of others.  He lived the rest of his life riddled with slander and shame.  But there were others who responded with dignity.  The band director led his orchestra on deck playing continually to convey a calm atmosphere in the midst of the mayhem.  Realizing hope was gone for his own rescue, he had the band play “Nearer My God to Thee,” a song he desired to have played at his funeral.  Hope was gone for rescue, so he placed his hope in the God of all hope.  Annie Funk, a Christian missionary, was next in line to enter a lifeboat.  Suddenly a woman burst through, screaming to be allowed to accompany her children on the lifeboat.  There was only one space left on the lifeboat.  Annie was faced with a sobering decision:  to get in her seat and live or to give up her seat and die.  She embraced the hope of eternal life and chose to lay down her life for this family.  She gave up her seat.  Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends” (John 15:13).  What is so amazing about this statement is that Christ died for us while we were His enemies (Romans 5:6-8). 

     You may feel like our nation is like the Titanic.  The United States has been hit by the icebergs of greed, corruption, and arrogance.  People consider it a right to murder unborn children and the elderly.  Americans strive for the right for same sex marriage.  There are Islamic radicals on American soil who want to destroy us.  Indeed, we’re sinking fast.  But are we without hope?  The middle verse in the Bible declares, “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man” (Psalm 118:8).  Do not put your hope in man or in this present life.  Put your hope in the only One who rose from the dead never to die again.  Jesus.  He alone is our hope.  He alone may provide a hope beyond this life with eternal life (1John 5:11-12).  Oh, and by the way, Edgar Joseph Meyer went down with the ship and his wife was rescued.     

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).