Do you ever feel like you are rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic? Earlier this week I had a phone conversation with a Christian woman who might describe her life that way. When she answered the phone it was obvious she was in the middle of something and I could barely hear her say hello because there was a baby screaming in the background. When I asked if I should call back at a better time, she indicated that there would not be a better time. We talked briefly about the job she had recently left. As we talked, I told her that I had also heard that her father was not doing well. She thanked me for my concern and asked if I had heard that her mother was being tested for cancer. I told I had not heard that. Shortly after that we noticed the children had stopped screaming in the background. It was quiet. Too quiet. The kind of quiet that occurs when a child is using the hedge trimers to cut their siblings hair. I don’t know if that is what happened, I might be projecting from my own childhood, but considering everything else that was happening in this woman’s life I wouldn’t be surprised. We decided to end the conversation so that she could investigate the quiet. As I said goodbye, I got the sense this poor woman felt like she had just spent the day rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
It isn’t difficult for us to imagine what this poor woman is going through. We may not currently be sailing in the same turbulent seas she is sailing, but we have all had times in our lives when it felt like we were rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Life, this side of heaven, is anything but smooth sailing. As you navigate your way through life, it is easy to get caught up in a storm and before you know it, waves or worry are washing over you and the winds of despair are threatening to capsize you. You frantically fight to stay afloat but no matter how many problems you patch up, you keep taking on water. You desperately search for a safe harbor where you can take shelter, but it is hard to get your bearings when you are in the middle of a storm.
When you find yourself in the midst of one of life’s storms and it feels like you are spending your days rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic it is tempting to give up all hope of being saved. Thankfully, today, in our lesson from Acts 27:13-26, saint Paul has these words of encouragement for us, “Cheer up… we’re sinking!”
Two weeks before he speaks these words of encouragement, Paul is on his way to Rome to stand trial before Caesar. (This is all part of God’s plan. Two years earlier “the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”[1]) On his way to Rome Paul is placed in the custody of a centurion named Julius. Julius booked passage for Paul and himself on a 180-foot, 276 passenger Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy. It had been slow going, they had been fighting the winds the entire voyage but after many difficult days Paul, Julius, and the crew finally made their way to a place called Fair Havens.
It was late September to early October when they arrived at Fair Havens. This was a dangerous time of year to be sailing, the weather became increasingly unpredictable and soon every ship would be forced to find a harbor in which to winter. However, Fair Havens was not considered a suitable harbor to winter in. The captain and the crew wanted to creep 50 miles down the coast of Crete to winter in the preferred harbor of Phoenix. Paul was not a fan of this plan. Paul argued, “10 Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” Now, we have no indication that Paul had received a direct revelation from God warning him against sailing for Phoenix. Rather, it seems likely that Paul was simply speaking from experience. In Paul’s second letter to the Christians in Corinth[2] we learn that Paul has already been shipwrecked three times. You can’t blame the guy for being a little nervous to set sail under these conditions. However, much to Paul’s chagrin, the centurion Julius agrees with captain and crew, and it is decided they should sail for the harbor at Phoenix. We read in verse 13, “When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had obtained what they wanted; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete.”
I want to interrupt our story here and mention that so far there is no specific sin that needs to be pointed out. As I said there is no indication that God is against the course that has been plotted. I mention this because we make plans like this every day. Every day we plot a course through life; we decide where to go, how to get there, and when we should leave. Assuming our destination and desires are not sinful, these decisions are in the realm of adiaphora; meaning God has not indicated that he is for or against them. These decisions in and of themselves are not sinful. I want to interrupt our story and point that out so that we don’t misunderstand what happens next.
In verses 14-15 we read, “14 Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the “northeaster,” swept down from the island. 15 The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along.” Paul’s fears were realized, he and his fellow shipmates are caught in a hurricane. I don’t know how many of you have been in a hurricane before, but I’ve been in several and I can assure you they aren’t something you want to be sailing in. I have seen the winds of a hurricane rip a roof off a building and the waves of a hurricane pull a building off its foundation. Storms like these are horrible and frightening. They cause destruction and ruin; pain and loss, but they are not a punishment for sin. God did not send this storm to punish the captain and crew for setting sail and God does not send storms into your life to punish you for making similar decisions. Let’s be clear, neither this storm in the Mediterranean Sea nor the storms that rage in your life are a punishment for sin. The punishment for sin has always been and will always be damnation.
The storm that Paul and his shipmates faced was not a punishment for sin, but it was still pretty bad. Last year a hurricane in the Mediterranean Sea produced waves that were nearly 50 feet high. That’s almost 15 feet higher than the peak of our sanctuary. Paul’s ship is caught up in these monstrous waves and is driven out to sea. In verses 16-19 we are told that Paul and his shipmates do everything they can think of to keep the ship from sinking. They “16made the lifeboat secure” so that it didn’t smash against the side of the ship. “17They passed ropes under the ship itself” so that the hull wouldn’t be ripped apart by the force of the waves. They “17lowered the sea anchor” in an attempt to slow their progress. They “18threw the cargo overboard” so that the ship would sit higher in the water and when they continued to take on water “19they threw the ship’s tackle overboard” as well. As I said, Paul and his shipmates did everything they could think to do in order to keep the ship from sinking.
I want to interrupt our story again and mention that still there is no specific sin that needs to be pointed out. It was not sinful for these men to do all that they could think to do in order to keep their ship from sinking. Rather, God expected Paul and his shipmates, and He expects me and you to use the reason and resources, He has given us to navigate the storms of life. It is not a sin to do everything we can think to do when faced with an emergency or crisis. In fact, it is far more likely to fall into sin if you don’t use the reason and resources God has given you.
So far in our story we have not come across a specific sin that needs to be pointed out. However, unfortunately, after two weeks of dealing with this storm, that changes. In verse 20 we read, “When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.” The thing about hurricanes is they tend to last a really, really long time. A tornado will rip through a neighborhood in a matter of minutes, but a hurricane will relentlessly and persistently pummel a city for hours. Eventually a storm like that has a debilitating effect on even the most positive of people.
I have noticed that the vast majority of storms we face in life tend to be more hurricane than tornado. Not a lot of people get cancer for a week. Not a lot of people lose their job for a day. Not a lot of people suffer depression for a minute. Storms such as these seem to last for a really, really long time. Sometimes they last so long that we can’t see the good that God has waiting for us on the horizon. Sometimes they last so long that even the strongest of Christians can be tempted to give up all hope.[3]
Thankfully, saint Paul has words of encouragement for both the people who were lost in the Mediterranean Sea and for people like you and me. In verse 22 saint Paul says, “I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.” Cheer up… we’re sinking! I know at first saint Paul sounds like he a worse motivational speaker than Matt Foley. Sinking was the very thing the sailors were desperately trying to avoid. They probably wanted Paul to tell them that everything was going to be o.k., that the ship was going to hold together, and they would soon sail to safety. But Paul doesn’t stand up and promise these people prosperity. Instead, he promises them something better. Paul tells them, “23 Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me 24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ 25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. 26 Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.” Paul doesn’t promise them prosperity, he promises them deliverance. As a result of Paul’s prayers God graciously decided to deliver them from the storm. Though they would suffer damage and loss Paul showed them that there was good news on the horizon, they would live. And sure enough, by the end of the story every single person aboard that ship was standing safely on the shores of Malta.
Like the sailors adrift in the Mediterranean Sea, when we are in the midst of one of life’s storm we want to hear that everything is going to be o.k.. We want to be told that the cancer will go away, we want to be told that we will get a better job, we want to be told that happiness is right around the corner. But that is not the message of the Bible. There isn’t a single passage in all of scripture that promises that kind of prosperity. Instead, we have something far better. We are promised deliverance. Paul’s prayers may have saved the sailors, but Jesus’ death has saved us sinners. Though the storms of this life may cause us to suffer damage and loss, because of Jesus there is good news on our horizon, because of Jesus we have life, eternal life. Because of Jesus by the end of our story, you and I will be standing not on the shores of Malta but in the halls of heaven.
So, when you find yourself in the midst of one of life’s storms and it feels like you are spending your days rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic it is o.k. to do everything you can think to do to stay afloat. But if at the end of the day you end up suffering damage or loss, I want you to think Paul’s words of encouragement and remember that even after your ship has sunk, because of Jesus, your soul will be saved. “Cheer up, my friends… we’re sinking!” Amen.
[1] Acts 23:11
[2] 2 Corinthians 11:25
[3] Notice that Saint Luke, the author of our story writes “we” gave up all hope.