Lost: Have courage

Acts 27:21-26, Luke 15:8-10

April 13, 2008

It’s scary feeling lost.

Last week we talked about the television show “LOST,” where after the storm wrecks their plane, the survivors are left stranded on an unfamiliar island.  They are lost, and now there are many scary situations to deal with: there is a monster made of smoke, which is sometimes there and sometimes not, almost as if it is conjured up by someone’s imagination; there are “Others,” inhabitants of the island who want to prevent the survivors from finding out the truth about their situation; and as the days drag on with no rescue in sight, fear and panic begin to lead to desperation on the part of the survivors.

But in the midst of the chaos and uncertainty, there is a voice of reason, a voice of hope—Jack.  Among the survivors is Dr. Jack Shephard, who, like a shepherd, becomes the leader of the lost flock of strangers on this strange island.  Jack is an eternal optimist, confident that they will not perish, but be rescued from the island.

In our reading from Acts, we also follow up on last week, where we found our band of travelers—Paul and his companions, along with Roman soldiers and the ship’s crew—fearing for their lives, giving up all hope of being saved because their ship is caught in a terrifying, days-long storm at sea.  They felt sure that they were lost.

But today we hear Paul, who, amid the chaos and confusion, the panic and the fear, says to the people on the ship, “I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.”  Well, that’s kind of a good news/bad news message, isn’t it?

But Paul is confident in what he is saying, because an angel of God came to him and said to him, “Do not be afraid,” and that all of the people on the ship would be saved.  Even in the midst of the storm, even as waves continue to crash over the bow and they continued to sail into the unknown, Paul’s confidence in God’s word gives him the confidence to proclaim good news to those on the ship.

I can only imagine the quizzical, doubting look on the faces of the seasoned soldiers and crew, as they clung for dear life to whatever was nailed down.  And then Paul tells them once again, “Keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.”  Slowly, the faces of the crew and soldiers are less tense; they look almost hopeful.  Paul’s confidence in God inspires courage in those around him.

Since this seems to be Paul’s message in this part of the story—to have courage—let’s take a look at the word courage. One definition of courage is the ability to face danger, difficulty, uncertainty, or pain without being overcome by fear or being deflected from a chosen course of action. Courage, then, overcomes fear. 

John Wayne was quoted as saying, “Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.”

We remember the Lion in the Wizard of Oz, who was afraid of the forest and even his own shadow.  And he said he needed what?  Courage.

Paul’s words and his faith in God gave his shipmates the courage to keep going, to face the storm and to survive.  I don’t know about you, but I think that every now and then we all need a little en-courage-ment—we all need someone to help us to find the courage to go on, to weather whatever storms that life is throwing at us; to face danger, difficulty, uncertainty, or pain without being overcome by fear; someone to save us from ourselves when we are lost.

Because it’s not easy getting through life on our own—there are many smoke monsters, situations which frighten us because they seem to appear out of nowhere, and we just can’t seem to get a grip on it; or sometimes the storms we face are the “Others,” other people who try to keep us from knowing the truth, who tell us we are worthless or useless, or that our faith is for naught, people who want to snatch away our trust in God, so that we end up lost and stranded with them on an island with no hope.  After all, misery loves company.

But here’s the thing: you see, there is One who, even when we are lost, desperately seeks us out, like a woman searching for a lost coin. Because in his eyes we are more precious than silver, or gold or diamonds or rubies or anything else that you can think of.  He is our shepherd, the One who will seek us out and bring us to safety; he is the One who comes to us in the midst of the storm and says, “Have courage, for not one of you will be lost.”

And even when we’re battling the storms—whatever form they may take—and we feel that we can’t go on, our arms hanging limp by our sides and our bodies and spirits exhausted beyond all measure, he’s the One who says, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I’ll give you rest.”

This One, who is there whether we are lost or broken or beaten down or running away; the One who never leaves us or forsakes us, is Jesus, the one who loves us so much that he died for us.  The One who loves YOU so much that he died for YOU.

It is the person whom Paul says that he belongs to, the person whom he serves; the One who stood beside Paul in the storm.  And you know what—Jesus is the One who stands beside YOU in the storm as well.  Oh, you may be running; you may feel that you’re not worthy; you may feel that the smoke monsters or the Others or the storms have convinced you that He doesn’t exist—but He’s there.

He searches for you and He calls to you, waiting for you to come to Him.  Maybe you’ve been feeling lost for some time, not knowing where to turn.  Maybe you know he’s there, but you’ve never had the courage to stand up and say “I trust in Jesus, because he’ll get me through this storm.”  But he will give you that courage.

Maybe years ago you put your faith and trust in Him but it’s been so long, that your personal relationship with Him has all but vanished into smoke.  And now you’re too embarrassed—what will others think?—and you don’t have the courage to stand up and recommit yourself to Him.  But he will give you that courage.

Oh, I know who you are, and I know how you feel.  There have been many days when the Others have gotten to me; many times when the smoke monsters of my mind have distracted me. But I say to you right now that it doesn’t matter.  And it doesn’t matter if this is your first day in church or your fortieth year in church, because it doesn’t matter what others will say or think of you; there is no shame, there is no guilt, there are no regrets—there is only Jesus.

And he says to you, “Come.”

(Open the altar)

Come, if you’ve never put your faith and trust in Jesus before as your Lord and Savior, and you don’t think that you have the strength—come, and He will give you strength. 

Come, if you’ve been a Christian for many years, but have lost the relationship with Christ, and you’re afraid of what others would say—come, and He will give you courage.

Come, all of you, come to the altar and ask Jesus into your life; ask him once again to lead you and to guide you.  Like Paul, let him know that you belong to Him and that you desire to serve him in all that you do.

It’s never too late, it’s never too far. The storms and monsters and Others can’t touch you now.