shipwrecked

Perhaps you have been following the unfolding story of the “Costa Concordia,” the cruise liner that capsized off the coast of Italy. So far 40 people are either dead or missing. Nearly 300 years ago another “Concordia” ran into bad weather and disappeared off the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. 130 people on board were lost. More recently, in 2010, another “Concordia” sank off the coast of Brazil, and 64 people were saved.

At that time Dale Meyer, the president of Concordia Seminary, taped the news story to his office door as a reminder that poor leadership can be disastrous when you’re steering a ship or institution named “Concordia.” The captain is the focus of attention in the most recent tragedy. He’s been placed under arrest on charges of manslaughter, shipwreck, and abandoning ship with passengers aboard.

Concordia is a greek word that means peace or harmony. This is what we should strive for in the church as the body of Christ. In 1 Timothy chapter 1 Paul speaks of this wonderful gift of God, and then adds a warning for Timothy and for us -

"The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have wandered away from this and turned to meaningless talk ... My son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith."

May the Lord lead the ark of His church into quiet and peaceful waters ... May we ever follow our Captain regardless of what lies ahead...   And may the prevailing wind of the Holy Spirit continue to guide and direct our paths on the sea.

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