9:04:35

Finally, something for Friday Fiction (though it is a story based on fact). I've abandoned PRIOR KNOWLEDGE for a while, but hopefully one day soon… In the meanwhile, here's an offering that connects with the season for all its sadness. Read other stories by visiting Karlene at Homespun Expressions for more Friday Fiction.

9:04:35 did well in the Faithwriters Challenge.

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On that cold winter’s morn in nineteen hundred and seventeen, no red flag waved above the stacks of the Mont Blanc. There was nothing to warn the innocent in Halifax, Nova Scotia, that she was a floating bomb filled to the gunnels with, among other nasties, some 400,000 pounds of TNT.

The absence of the flag was a safety precaution. The German u-boats prowling the Atlantic would have no way of identifying her as a carrier of such deadly, or such an important cargo. Perhaps in their search for more impressive prey, they would leave this little rust-bucket alone as she sailed with her convoy to battle-weary Europe.

Except for one stretch of water, called “The Narrows” which connected the outer harbour and the Atlantic with the Bedford Basin, Halifax Harbour was ideal as a launch point for the dozens of ships that came and went from the war zone. Troop ships, cargo vessels and munitions carriers like the Monte Blanc were a common sight.

Vincent Coleman, like thousands of other Haligonians, went off to work that morning in December with absolutely no inkling of what was soon to happen. He settled down to his work as dispatcher at the Richmond Railway Yards not far from the harbour. Soldiers, sailors and the materiel of war, as well as trains carrying ordinary passengers, poured into Halifax from all over Canada and the United States. The responsibility rested heavily on his shoulders.

“Hey,Vince, how’s the wife and kids?”

Intercolonial Railway’s chief office clerk, William Lovet stepped into the office just minutes behind Coleman.

“Little one’s got the sniffles; you know what it’s like in winter. As for the rest, everybody’s fine. You?”

“Lookin’ forward to Christmas.” Bill hung up his coat and set to work.

It was 7:30 a.m. At the entrance to the narrows, the anti-submarine nets had been lowered and the Mont Blanc’s captain, Aimé Le Médec, began his slow passage into Bedford Basin.

But in the habour, a Norwegian freighter, the Imo, was as anxious to get out of Halifax as Mont Blanc was to get in. She was riding high, in passage to New York to pick up relief supplies. She stayed to port extending the common, though illegal, courtesy to incoming vessels of using the starboard channel that was closer to the docks.

The two vessels exchanged signals and whistles to indicate their intentions, but confusion won the day and just before 9:00 a.m., Imo sliced into the Monte Blanc. The Imo reversed engines, and as she pulled away, fire broke out on the Mont Blanc.

Captain Le Médec, knowing what his ship carried, immediately ordered his crew to abandon ship. They screamed out warnings to anyone who might hear. Few understood since they were shouting in French.

The Mont Blanc drifted toward the harbour, coming to rest against one of the docks. She was burning profusely now and the spectacle attracted a huge crowd of excited school children, workers, and passers-by, along with local firefighters.

A stone white face, mouth gaping and eyes wide, appeared in the doorway of Vince Coleman’s office at the Richmond Yards.

“Run, run for your lives! She’s gonna blow!” The sailor’s garbled tale was clear enough to convince William and Vince that they needed to get as far away as possible, as quickly as possible. They were out the door when Coleman slid to a stop and turned back.

“Vince, what are you doing? We have to go. Now.”

“I can’t. There are passenger trains due any moment. I have to stop them.”

“Don’t be crazy, man. You have a wife and kids. If you stay …”

“You go. I’ll be right behind you.”

At 9:04:35 a.m., Mont Blanc disintegrated in a flash of light, sending up a pillar of smoke the likes of which would not be seen until the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima almost thirty years later. The better part of northern Halifax was leveled; almost two thousand people lost their lives.

Among the lost was Vincent Coleman.

Out of the reach of the shrapnel, glass and flying debris, trains idled. Vince had completed his mission by tapping out the crucial message: “Munitions ship on fire. Approaching Pier 6. Goodbye boys.” He had been just in time to save hundreds of lives, at the cost of his own.

When one man dies to save the living, we call him a hero. And rightly so. When one man dies to save the dead, we call Him a Saviour.

Hand-Me-Down Suffering

I was packing up some stuffed animals and used clothing yesterday—things that will get dropped off to be distributed among those who could use a little encouragement along the way.

The exercise reminded me of an incident that took place in Colombia where I served many years ago. Someone in Western Canada had taken it upon herself to collect a ton (literally) of used clothing which she then sent to us at the Bible Institute in Medellin. The huge crate arrived and we had an absolute ball going through all the stuff. Some was junk—a waste of time and money to sent. That junk included long underwear, mini-skirts, shoes without mates. I think there was even a ratty fur coat. But there was some good clothing in the crate.

We distributed what was useful and in good condition to our Bible School students, most of whom were very poor. One young man refused to take anything. He told me that he didn't wear "hand-me-downs." Pride was written all over his face so I took him aside. His perspective changed when I told him my story. You see, I grew up on hand-me-downs—long before recycling was "in." In fact I still wear hand-me-downs. There is no shame in it as far as I'm concerned.

I count my blessings, no matter where they come from, because there are so many in the world who have less.

When I read this morning's verses, this concept of sharing was fresh in my mind. Peter wrote: "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings" —1 Peter 5:7-9.

Sharing clothing is like sharing suffering. Though the form that suffering takes is different for each individual, we all wear it in common. It touches each of us. We can't avoid it and must accept it as part of this world's reality.

But how we accept it is important. Suffering is a "hand-me-down." I have my own and this I share with others who pray and encourage along the way so that I resist the temptation to give in to the anxiety. Others share their sufferings with me. I put those on, taking them to the Lord in prayer, bearing a little of burden so that others will remain firm in the faith even in the midst of their circumstances.

The family shares even the bad stuff, and shares it with the realization that in the end, God will bless it and make us better for it.

Love Was When…

I couldn't get the song out of my head, even though most of the words escaped me.

"Love was when God became a man…"

Somehow those few words perfectly illustrated today's verse from 1 Peter 4:8.

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins."

I had a very sinful day yesterday. Stress levels were running high drowning faith as each wave passed. Patience was as thin as tissue paper and I allowed my temper to control me. As I came back to the Lord for forgiveness I was overwhelmed again with that love that covers all my sin.

In gratitude I pray that today will be a better one, that I will not grieve Him as I did yesterday, and that my love for Him will deepen, carrying away in its wake the temptation to give in to fear and anxiety.

His love, demonstrated in that act of taking on "skin" on my behalf, does indeed cover a multitude of sin.

Shedding Skin

Welcome to Monday Manna, hosted by Joanne at An Open Door. Be sure to visit.

Once upon a time I was young and skinny. My aunt, who always took me shopping on my yearly visits, continually complained that I had nothing to "hang" clothes on. These days she admonishes me to take weight OFF. I used to complain to God about my "flesh," considering it to be unattractive. Thankfully I have long since come to terms with my imperfect physical flesh.

I wonder if Jesus ever felt uncomfortable in his humanity? He was tempted in every way that we can be tempted—so perhaps that included wanting to crawl out of His skin.

John 1:14 says: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling place among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Somehow it is difficult to imagine Jesus with a growling stomach, with sore feet, or an itchy beard. I can hardly conceive of Him sweating. Did his childhood friends give him a hard time about being skinny or fat, or not quite as good at sports as they were? Isaiah tells us that He wasn't handsome (Isaiah 53:2). Did the teenage girls make fun of him because He wasn't "cute?"

My skin is the only skin I've ever had, but the Son of God put perfection behind Him to take on physical imperfection. In the spiritual sense He was perfect because Jesus was without sin even though every possible appeal to sin was made to His physical, emotional, mental, spiritual being (Hebrews 4:15).

The Lord took on my "skin" and along with it, all its weaknesses and needs. He may have been tempted to set it aside and return to perfection but for me, and for you, He hung on to that flesh until there was no longer any need for it, until the job was done.

And to prove that old saying "beauty is only skin deep," the flesh the Lord took on was wrapped around something far more precious—grace and truth—the true test of how deep beauty runs.

Submission, Not Subjugation

Aha, I thought, as I read this morning's assigned verses. I figured I could pass on this set of instructions.

The verses come from 1 Peter 3:1-5 which, as most people know, like it or not, have to do with wives submitting to their husbands. Since I don't have a husband, I thought I'd just skip over the passage without a second look.

Then I took the second look. Some people wave these verses under the noses of wives like rotten cheese in a strong wind, admonishing them to behave themselves appropriately in their spousal relationships.

A blog is not the best place to discuss all the issues that are raised here—and there are lots of them. But what strikes me is what this particular passage is actually addressing, quite apart from any other references.

Take a look.

"Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands" —I Peter 3:1-5.

The first thing that grabs my attention is the phrase: "…in the same way." Looking back at the context (and what follows) we discover that the instruction to submit is not make to women alone. (In fact the following verses give instruction as to how husbands are to treat their wives—odd how those often get missed in the discussion.) The bottom line is that everyone is to follow the example of Christ in living lives that glorify God.

Why?

This passage says that women should be Christ-like in their relationship to their husbands so that they might win over any unsaved spouses. That's a specific application of the more general principle found in verses 11, 12: "Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us."

As in the example of the Proverbs 31 woman, the issue is not subjugation but godly behavior that makes brings glory to God, makes the husband proud, and brings satisfaction to the woman in her roles inside and outside the home. (And yes, the Proverbs 31 woman was a business woman!)

Some insist that a godly woman shouldn't wear jewelry or nice clothes. I think that is reading more into the passage than Peter meant. He is simply saying that true beauty is more than skin deep.

The point of the passage isn't to humiliate or subjugate women. The passage is a call for all of us to submit ourselves to following Christ's example for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

It's All About …

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may live, love and be happy all the rest of your lives" —I Peter 2:9 NIV.

Don't you just love this verse?

What? I misquoted? No way! Isn't the purpose of our salvation to give us abundant life? Isn't abundant life a nice home, a modest bank account, kids who turn out well, two cars, a beach apartment or lakeside cottage, health and freedom from anxiety, a comfortable pew in a comfortable church where I can be served a comfortable gospel? It isn't?

Well, paint me red with embarrassment!

So what does the verse actually say?

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" —1 Peter 2:9 NIV.

You mean God saved me so that I could go on mission for Him? No kidding!

Declare? As in speak for Him?

Lift Him up before others?

Tell my salvation story?

Be a missionary?

Funny, I thought it was all about me. I guess I was wrong.

Unwavering Faith

Remember the wishy-washy faith described by James in chapter 1, verses 6 to 8? "But, when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."

If you ask for wisdom, believe that wisdom is exactly what the Lord will give you.

At the end of his little letter, James returns to the theme of unwavering faith, this time in the context of other issues that plague our daily lives.

"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will rise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray from each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" —James 5:13-16.

James then cites the example of Elijah who prayed and not one drop of rain fell on the land for over three years. And just in case anyone thought it was a fluke, when Elijah prayed for rain, it fell.

I look at the passage from James and realize once again the importance of the body, the church, in the process of healing and forgiveness. I see again that need to pray with unwavering faith.

That kind of faith is a daily struggle. In the face of human impossibilities, unwavering faith eludes me at times. I can only say with that father of old: "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief." And we know what Jesus did for that man, don't we. I guess even recognizing and confessing the weakness of our faith, is a gesture of faith—one to which God responds.