Cruise Ship or Battleship?

The first time I specifically remember a model ship hanging from the rafters of a church was at Grand View College in Des Moines, IA. I had traveled there with a college friend for the “Aebleskiver Festival”. (If you don’t know, an “Aebleskiver” (in Danish, “apple slices”) is a popular Danish pastry, a light, melt-in-your-mouth pancake ball that tastes like a cross between a pancake and a donut.) One of the weekend activities was attending worship in Danish Church.

The first thing I noticed, hanging from the rafters of the church, was a replica of a sailing vessel. Later I learned that this is a widespread custom in Denmark and in churches of Danish origin. It served as a reminder of the ancestral home of many of the U.S. immigrants and, in Denmark (where the life on the sea was central), it was an “offering” of sorts to assure safe voyage for ship and crew.

However, this folk custom coincides with an ancient Christian metaphor which compared the church itself to a ship. Even today we call the main sanctuary of our churches the “nave”, a name derived from the Latin word “navis”, which means ship and the origin of words such as “navy” and “naval”.

The metaphor of the church as a ship has many symbolic connections. We speak of the Christian life as a journey over the sea and we talk about a pilot that guides us. One favorite Christian hymn reads: “Jesus, Savior, pilot me over life’s tempestuous sea.” The ship is not a major Christian symbol but it is an appropriate one.

Now, make this jump with me. If the ship is a Christian symbol, is it more like a “cruise ship” or a “battleship?”

It seems to me that too often we have a “cruise ship” mentality in the Church of Jesus Christ. We approach the church like we do our favorite department store, that is, with a “consumer” mentality. We want to pick and choose what we want and what we’ll share in. We want luxury and glitz. We want to be entertained and made to smile. We want to “go along for the ride.”

It would be more accurate to see the church as a “battleship”, in the truest sense of “nave” (naval). Because, you see, that is exactly what we are called to do, to engage the enemy of our souls with the ultimate power of God in and through the presence of the Holy Spirit. The journey we are on with God is far from a “cruise”. It is a battle, just like those vessels in Danish churches reminded people of the battle against the tempest of the sea and sacrifice given for the freedom to worship God. The mission and ministry of the church today (as it always has been) is to demonstrate God’s power in all corners of the world, society and our lives in order to restore God’s rule on the earth.

The key reason Jesus died on the cross was to restore and redeem that which was lost. The battle is still going on. The battle won’t be won from a cruise ship. It will be won from the battleship where Jesus is the pilot on the journey, through the seas roiled with the tempters power.

So, I pray, “Jesus, Savior, pilot me ....”