;)
A Crude Lifesaving Station (Revised)
Posted by Dave Miller in Baptist Life, Church & Missions
Several years ago, my executive director read an essay by Theodore Wedel, written in the early part of the 20th Century. It moved me deeply. I decided to modernize it a little. You may have read this before, but sometimes the best new truth is just the old truth we have forgotten. So, here is an old story for a new time.
“A Crude Lifesaving Station”
by Theodore Wedel
(Adapted and Updated by David L. Miller)
Along a dangerous seacoast, shipwrecks were common. Grieved by the tragedies, a small group of people gathered together to establish a lifesaving station. They built a little hut, bought one small boat, and set out to save lives. They kept a constant watch over their coastline, and went out selflessly, day and night, to rescue those in need. This little lifesaving station became famous because they saved so many lives. Those whose lives were saved joined in the work, and people came from all over to be a part of this noble project. They donated their money joyfully, gave of their time and effort willingly, and the work grew dramatically. They were able to purchase new boats and train new crews, so more people were saved than ever before.
Some of the members of the lifesaving station became concerned that the hut was so crude and the equipment so basic. They believed that a larger, better-equipped station would help them to accomplish their work more effectively. They built a large new station, replaced the emergency cots with comfortable beds, and filled their new station with functional furniture. In fact, the lifesaving station was now so nice and so comfortable that it became a popular gathering place for the members. They decorated and furnished the station exquisitely. They met and discussed the importance of lifesaving; they developed programs to teach their children about lifesaving. And they grieved together at how many ships were running aground.
But the members found that the maintenance and upkeep of the lifesaving station left them too busy and tired to go out on the boats. So they hired crews to man the boats. Because the members still cared deeply about lifesaving, they held classes on lifesaving, sang songs about lifesaving, and gave demonstrations. Many wrote blogs which trumpeted the importance of life saving and argued about the most effective techniques. All of the decorations in the station supported the lifesaving theme. They even had a large lifeboat at the front of the station as a constant reminder. Comfortable in their modern lifesaving station, and encouraged by the results of the professional lifesaving teams, the people felt good about themselves and more people continued to join their lifesaving club. Every now and again a dispute would arise about which brand of boats was better for lifesaving or about the methods of the crews, but the lifesaving club continued to promote the concept of lifesaving.
Then, one day, a crisis came. A large ship foundered off the coast, and the hired crews made a heroic rescue. They brought boatloads of cold, wet, dirty, half-drowned people into the lifesaving station. As you can imagine, the beautiful new lifesaving station was thrown into chaos. The rescued people made an absolute mess of the place. They dripped mud and water everywhere, ruined the new sheets on the beds, and left the place smelling like dead fish. There were children who did not behave well and a few young people who did not show proper respect for the beautiful lifesaving club. Some of those rescued were foreigners; just not the right kind of people to fit in at the lifesaving club. A few members were offended and vowed never to return.
So, the life-saving club did the only thing it could. They set up a shower-house outside the station. They mandated that those rescued must wash up and put on clean, respectable clothes before they would be allowed to enter the clubhouse. At the next club meeting, a sharp division occurred. Some members felt that lifesaving efforts should be stopped, as it was so unsavory, disruptive to the club, and destructive to the station. Some of the original members and a few that had been rescued in the early days argued that they could not abandon their lifesaving purpose. Eventually, the majority won out and for the good of the lifesaving club, all lifesaving operations were suspended.
A few folks still believed in lifesaving, so they went down the beach and established a new lifesaving station. They did not have the money for a fancy clubhouse, so they erected a tiny, crude lifesaving station with one old boat. But they used that boat and many lives were saved. Soon, people began to join with them, excited to be saving lives again. They trained volunteer crews and sent them into the dangerous waters to rescue those who were perishing. The task quickly grew beyond their ability, and they hired the crews from the old lifesaving station and put them back to work. Some of the members began to wonder why the old lifesaving club had such nice accommodations, while theirs were so sparse. So, they erected a new lifesaving station. Eventually, like the first, they suspended lifesaving operations for the good of the club. A small group split from them and started a new lifesaving station, small and humble, farther down the beach.
Over and over again, the process repeated itself. Today, if you go to that place, you will find the coastline populated with large, modern, technologically-advanced and beautiful lifesaving stations but the shore is littered with the bodies of those who have drowned.
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
In reality, these people are already dead, not drowning. They’re stone cold, bottom-of-the-sea type dead. That is why there is only One Life-Saver, who can resurrect the dead. The drowning analogy does a disservice to the fact that people are dead in sin.
I’m not sure how you can tweak this otherwise good tale. Maybe something like: “Some people grew weary of taking the dead bodies to the True Life Saver so they decided to not look for them anymore.”
I don’t know, as Joe often says, “I’m just sayin’.”
Good story. Presents some great truths.
I remember hearing it years ago. Sometimes the old stories are the best.
David R. Brumbelow
This is just a story, told to make a point, John. It is not meant to be a systematic theology.
The point of the story is that the church sometimes forgets its mission and becomes more of a social club than a church.
It is not really meant to be a primer on total depravity.
sounds like the mega churches of our day, building bigger and modern edifices, letting the community go to hell around them.
Dave,
This reminds me of working with the homeless and using our church for a Thursday night Bible study for the families. Children, crawling on the floor in diapers and coloring books while the older children and parents sang songs and listened to Bible Stories. Many were without a Mother or a Father present because they were in jail for whatever. On Sundays they were looked down upon because they had no Social Graces.
Wayne