Volume 30, No. 9                                         
February 27, 2005

Finding Yourself

   If your life seems adrift, this may help.

   Look at any globe and you’ll notice the world is divided into evenly-spaced lines running from top-to-bottom and side-to-side.  As you probably remember from school, the horizontal ones that measure your distance north or south from the Equator are called latitude and the vertical ones that gage your east or west distance from Greenwich, England are longitude. Find your north-south and east-west positions on a map and you can tell right where you are, anyplace on the planet.

   When you travel by land, it’s easy to figure out how far above or below the Equator you are.  That’s because the sun travels a very predictable path, so you can calculate its angle at high noon, do some simple math and find your exact north-south position. But when explorers started to travel the seas, they couldn’t tell how far east or west they were from Greenwich because there were no landmarks on the water to help them judge distance, and both winds and waves made it impossible to know how fast and how far they were going.

   As a result, early tries to measure east-west travel were way off.  Distance, for example, was calculated by spacing rope knots 50 feet apart then counting how many knots slipped through a sailor’s fingers  in 28 seconds, which is how knots became the nautical term for speed.  That primitive method of measurement was called dead reckoning.

   Finally, somebody remembered that, because the earth was spinning, noon came at different times at different places as you went from east to west.  So if you spotted the sun at high noon wherever you were, then noted the time-difference between you and Greenwich, you could know exactly how far away you were from there.  All you needed was a reliable clock, set to Greenwich time.

   Though 17th Century pendulum clocks were very precise, they didn’t work on a heaving ocean.  But when the British Parliament promised a staggering reward to anyone who could develop a device to  keep accurate time at sea, clockmaker John Harrison did just that.  In 1761, he made it possible for ships to locate their positions, anywhere.   All of this holds potent lessons for those of us trying to find our place in the world, spiritually.  When we feel entirely at sea, trying to navigate uncharted territory fraught with danger and uncertainty, the first thing we must do is determine where we are in relation to the Son.  Entirely predictable, Jesus and our Father are a trustworthy source of strength, guidance and protection.  “Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above, who created all heaven’s lights.  Unlike them, He never changes, or casts shifting shadows.  In his goodness, He chose to make us his own children, by giving us his true word.  And we... became his choice possession.” (James 1:17,18)

   But the second part of the equation is trickier.  Just as Greenwich is the point from which all vertical progress is measured, Calvary is its spiritual equivalent.  To find our place in this world and determine with absolute certainty where we’re headed, we must align ourselves with the Cross.  That means acknowledging Jesus as Lord, trying to chart a course in the opposite direction from our sins, and embracing baptism.  “For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism.  And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, we also may live new lives.”(Rom. 6:3,4). Lives with direction.

   “Since you’ve been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven...  Don’t think only about things here on earth.  For... your real life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Col. 3:1-3)  To measure progress in life only as far as the grave, without considering the sweep of eternity, is dead reckoning at its worst.  

   Instead, we must use our decision to follow Christ as the marker by which we gage how far we’ve come.  “Be an example to all believers in... the way you live, in your love, your faith and your purity... so everyone will see your progress.” (1 Tim. 5:12,15)  If you’ll do that, relying solely on the grace of God to cover your sins, your patient, loving Father will show you a lot of latitude.  

By Rick Gamble, published in Cross Current, the weekly newsletter of the Followers of Christ church family in Brantford, Ontario, Canada.  Reprint at will in not-for-profit publications.  To receive these free weekly articles via email, send a note to sgamble@bfree.on.ca

NEWS AND NOTES

Mad’ About Her!
Yesterday’s Dedication Service for baby Maddison Baker was a wonderful demonstration of love and community!   With the full cooperation of a smiley, beautiful baby,  we asked God’s blessing upon Cheryl and Howie who pledged to raise her in His love.  Our children are the future of the church so please keep all our parents in your prayers!

Our Condolences
 Our sympathy goes to Joe Lewicki upon the passing last week of his sister, Corinne, after a lengthy illness.  We pray that God’s comfort and consolation will be with Joe and his family as they mourn their loss.

A New Orient-ation!
The Trustees have agreed to a request from Judith Alexander that we become the sponsoring church for her Japanese mission work!  That means we’ll oversee and distribute all finances contributed to her. Judith hopes to stop teaching soon and become a full-time missionary and we want to be part of her support.  Please ask the Lord to show us what monthly amount we should donate, and consider offering some personal support.

Spare Time!
This week is shaping up to be busy!  Aside from our regular programming, the guys are going Bowling on Friday night (7:30) at Star Lanes on Mary Street.  For $11 a person, you get unlimited bowling and your shoes.  On Saturday, the latest Veggie Tales episode, Duke and the Great Pie War, will be shown at the Cineplex Theatre in the Brantford Mall at 9:30 a.m.  Tickets are $2.50 a person, available at the Gospel Lighthouse bookstore.  Then on Sunday, the Projection Workshop will be at 2:00.  Lunch will be provided.
 
S.O.S.!
The Sharing Our Support monthly meeting for women is taking a break for the next few months.  That’s because most of the women involved are already participating in several of our other programs where support is readily available.  The option of getting together in a smaller setting is still open to those women who want to organize it.

Reading Week!
With other local churches, we’re participating again in Proclamation, a week-long public reading of the Bible intended to encourage believers and witness to the community.  The reading will take place in designated time slots from April 6-15 at Balfour Street United Church.  If you’d like to participate this year, please inform Rick or Susan Gamble.