“AYE, AYE, CAP’N”

‘O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.’
(With apologies to Walt Whitman)

I imagine myself on board ship on the tempestuous Lake of Galilee, or tossed about by the strong protesting elements on Mount Golgotha, on that grim Good Friday, or anywhere else in the whole world, where honesty, peace, integrity and love have become things, values of the past. Yes, the three-year fearful trip IS over and done with. We are safe in port. We have weathered all weather, merciless rain and wind. Now we are safe in port.
We have witnessed the bleeding drops of red on the deck, on the Cross, where our beloved Captain lies, crucified cold and dead.

‘O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up--for you the flag is flung--for you the bugle trills;
For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths--for you the shores a-crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning.’
All bells have rung with joy on Easter Morn, people exulting, singing ‘Hallelujah’.

We are safe in port, yet, the Sea in the Lake of Galilee is again in turmoil, blood is dripping on the skull of Golgotha, elsewhere, in this tempestuous world. Though we are safe in port, the enemy keeps knocking at our doors, sending messages of hatred, and of threats.

BUT, why fear ? Have we forgotten our Captain’s encouraging words when we were tossed in the stormy Sea of Galilee ? ”You men of little faith, trust in me”….. “Do I not look after a sparrow worth two pence, and are you not worth much more, how can you imagine that I could abandon you.” …….. “I am with you till the end of time.”……. “Your name is written on the palm of my hand.” “Even if a mother abandons her child I will never abandon you.” Fear not.
“Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.”

Let us be brave, let us declare our Faith and shout out in chorus: “Aye, Aye, Cap’n. “ “Jesus, we trust in You, in You alone, we trust.” Then, let the beating on our doors go on, fear not. Let the insults be hurled, they will fly past, but no harm comes to us. Suffer injustice, the Lord is strengthening and preparing us for the big prize. Fear not, bear no grudge against those who ignore us, those who belittle us, who look down upon us, who consider us trash. As long as we are in the good books of the Captain, fear not. For now we are safe in His port.

Our Captain is not a human being, he is not a President, not a Senator, not a Minister, not a Representative, not a Dictator, He is God, the Eternal, Just, Loving God… Herod died, Caesar died, Nero died, all Dictators died, all world leaders die, sooner or later, as others have died, BUT, our Captain lives on for ever, HE is eternal. So trust in HIM and in HIM alone. “Carry on Cap’n.” Now we are safe in the port of Your loving Heart.

I wrote this reflection whilst appreciating, through a watery curtain, that marvellous piece of music written by Patrick Doyle, the Sound Track of the film, ‘Sense and Sensibility’. How grateful we should be to God who touches men with His rays of grace and beauty and men translates those rays into scores of Music, Paintings, Literature, any other works of Art. I suggest you listen to it and appreciate God’s love and greatness.

Beacons of Faith: 1 “I Was There" . 2 “Aye, Aye, Cap’n”