Friday a Canadian owned cruise ship hit an iceberg in the region of the Antarctic some 700 miles south of the tip of South America and it appears that the ship is going to sink. The Explorer had 91 passengers, including 13 Americans. All passengers and crew members were successfully rescued by a passing ship.
When the Explorer hit the ice a hole the size of a fist was punched into the hull. The ship was in the midst of a 19-day cruise of Antarctica that allowed passengers to observe penguins, whales and other forms of wildlife.
What a picture of life. We’re cruising through life doing our best to enjoy the journey and something below the surface punches a hole in our ship and we’re in danger of sinking.
It doesn’t take much. A hull of steel in frigid waters is compromised by ice.
We are now officially in “holiday waters” cruising toward an idealized Christmas. We’ll make careful plans, spend a lot of money, overextend ourselves and leave our ship/life exposed to icebergs (some hidden and some obvious).
How will you navigate these waters/holidays? When I centralize my focus on the Christ of Christmas I don’t come so perilously close the commercialized and idealized icebergs that lay in wait to sink me.
A CHRISTmas thinks about God and others more than self.
A CHRISTmas engages in worship and service more than buying stuff.
A CHRISTmas experiences holy days instead of holidays.
A CHRISTmas inspires life rather than exhausting life.
I’m not suggesting that I won’t attend a party or buy a gift for anyone. What I am saying is that I will enter these waters with an awareness that there are cultural and relational icebergs all around that could sink my ship.
I pray God’s blessings upon you this season.
When the Explorer hit the ice a hole the size of a fist was punched into the hull. The ship was in the midst of a 19-day cruise of Antarctica that allowed passengers to observe penguins, whales and other forms of wildlife.
What a picture of life. We’re cruising through life doing our best to enjoy the journey and something below the surface punches a hole in our ship and we’re in danger of sinking.
It doesn’t take much. A hull of steel in frigid waters is compromised by ice.
We are now officially in “holiday waters” cruising toward an idealized Christmas. We’ll make careful plans, spend a lot of money, overextend ourselves and leave our ship/life exposed to icebergs (some hidden and some obvious).
How will you navigate these waters/holidays? When I centralize my focus on the Christ of Christmas I don’t come so perilously close the commercialized and idealized icebergs that lay in wait to sink me.
A CHRISTmas thinks about God and others more than self.
A CHRISTmas engages in worship and service more than buying stuff.
A CHRISTmas experiences holy days instead of holidays.
A CHRISTmas inspires life rather than exhausting life.
I’m not suggesting that I won’t attend a party or buy a gift for anyone. What I am saying is that I will enter these waters with an awareness that there are cultural and relational icebergs all around that could sink my ship.
I pray God’s blessings upon you this season.
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