In the 2nd century, the theologian Hippolytus of Rome wrote about the church as a ship:
the sea is the world, in which the Church is set, like a ship tossed in the deep, but not destroyed; for she has with her the skilled Pilot, Christ. And she bears in her midst also the trophy (which is erected) over death; for she carries with her the cross of the Lord. For her prow is the east, and her stern is the west, and her hold is the south, and her tillers are the two Testaments; and the ropes that stretch around her are the love of Christ, which binds the Church.
The image of the church as a ship remained so prevalent that it even made its way into church architecture. The “nave” (central seating area) of a church takes its name from the Latin word for ship (navis).
For sea-faring people a ship was safety in the turbulence of the powerful sea. Remember the story of Jesus calming the sea while the disciples freaked out about the storm (Mark 4:35-41) or the story of Jonah, who was tossed from the ship during a divinely sent storm to prevent the ship from capsizing?
This past week as part of the Baptist World Alliance gathering I found myself on a boat full of Baptists under the Niagara falls. That was a lot of Baptists on a boat! It is hard to explain the power and joy of the moment we pulled into the choppy spray of the horse-shoe shaped Canadian falls. Holding onto the deck rail with one hand and my rain poncho with the other, I found myself joyfully laughing at the sheer beauty and power of the moment.
Then I turned my head and realized that my friends on either side of me were laughing too! The water was so choppy, but in that boat we were safe – and beyond safe we were joyful!
This past Sunday in our all-church discussion time I asked groups to reflect on what challenges or opportunities PMBC had faced during their tenure. If we expand that question back to our founding we recognize that PMBC has survived two world wars, even more wars, the Great Depression, the shift in church attendance in late modernity, political upheaval, and so many personal faith and life crises. And yet – and yet – the ship that is this church has taken us safely through some really choppy waters. And beyond that, it has kept us together during moments of profound joy.
This week as we actively pray together on how we are to move forward in discerning God’s calling on our future – I encourage you to take a look around at the other Baptists on this boat. We are here because of our love of God and love of this community and our great hopes for its future. It is a community of safety in a choppy world – and it is also a community of great love and joy.
As we bob along through whatever waters come our way, may we together rejoice in the Lord always!
Blessings,
Pastor Amy
