In Pirates of the Caribbean – At World’s End, Elizabeth Swann leads the Brethren of Pirates against the armada of the East India Company. (Here the lying, treacherous, murdering pirates are the “good” guys. Hey, it’s Hollywood.) Facing insurmountable odds, Elizabeth decides to fight rather than turn and run. But Captain Barbossa challenges her decision, saying revenge is not something he’s willing to die for.
“Then what shall we die for? You will listen to me. LISTEN! The Brethren will still be looking here to us, to the Black Pearl, to lead. And what will they see? Frightened bilge rats aboard a derelict ship? No. No, they will see free men and freedom! And what the enemy will see is the flash of our cannons. They will hear the ring of our swords, and they will know what we can do…by the sweat of our brows, and the strength of our backs…and the courage of our hearts. Gentlemen…hoist the colors.”
Her speech stirs the men who echo “Hoist the colors” as flags on the pirate ships are raised. First Mate Mister Gibbs looks to the sky and shouts, “Aye! The wind’s at our side, boys. That’s all we need!”
Like that band of pirates, we face what appears an insurmountable situation. But unlike the fictional battle of the Black Pearl, ours is real. Take your position on the quarterdeck and look to the seas of a new year. With the past as our guide and God’s Word as our compass…what do you see on the horizon?
Smooth sailing forever is what we pray for, but that’s not what history shows. Certainly there will be times of calm, but we know…a deadly storm is but a day away…raging seas can dash our hopes…waves like mountains can drag us down to utter depths. How will we fare? Who will stand in such rolling seas? Who will face the battles ahead? And who will lead?
Many have suffered, and do even now. They have known the intensity of illness and disappointment, loneliness and depression, loss and betrayal. They have felt forgotten, despised, and mocked. They have faced death. Yet in such terrible struggles, they continue to look to God. A banner has been raised on the mountains and they have seen it. (Isaiah 18:3) And in their hearts they claim the promise of their King.
“O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. To the LORD I cry aloud, and He answers me from His holy hill.” (Psalms 3:1-4)
It is important to understand the timing of these words. David, king of Israel, did not write this during a time of smooth sailing, nor as he sat at the helm of his kingdom, safe and protected in his palace. No, these words came as his son Absalom was seizing his throne, even as he was being hunted down to be killed. And yet, in such circumstances David was his people’s leader.
In Pirates, they found themselves lost in calm waters, but a riddle held the key for their return to the land of the living. “Sunrise Sets. Up is Down.” What did it mean? When is sunrise sunset? Then suddenly one figured it out. It wasn’t sunrise, but sun down. Their salvation would come when sun down was followed by sun rise So they flipped their ship into the sea. The sun came down to the water, their world was altered, and suddenly everything was backwards. They were no longer drowning, but breathing fresh air. As they stood in a new day, they watched the sun rise from the far horizon into a clear blue sky.
Christians, Messianic Jews, Followers of the Way…believers, by whatever name, have been given such a riddle. We can be lost in the calm, drown in our misery, or…remember the Son who came down, who changed our world, and who rose giving us a new day. And our leaders where Up is Down? They are not defined by title, power, or wealth. He who is least among you all – he is the greatest. (Luke 9:48b) Our leaders are the least among us. They struggle yet still stand, suffer yet still follow. They fight the battles, weather the storms, encourage each other, lift up the fallen, and look to the victory beyond the horizon.
So, what of you then, as you look across the sea to new waters? Are you willing to lose everything for the Son Down and Son Rise, to give up your own reputation to raise His as your banner? What are you willing to die for? Brothers and sisters are looking here for us to lead. And what will they see? People satisfied with their own success? People frightened of the past, afraid of the future? People willing to leave them behind? No! Listen to me.
They will see men and women, freed from death and free to live forever. In us, they will see the Way of God, the Truth of Christ, and the Life of the Spirit, not by the sweat of our brows or by the strength of our backs, but by our love for them. They will find the light of the world and know we follow the Son who gives the courage of our hearts. Not because there is no storm, but in the midst of it. Hoist the colors! Raise the Banner! The Lord’s at our side, my friends. That’s all we need!
“You, oh God, have raised a banner for those who honor you, to be unfurled against the bow, that it may be displayed because of the truth – a rallying point for all in the face of attack.” ( see Psalms 60:4)
Take care and be God’s,
Chuck Graham
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