I’m reminded this Christmas Season of an old traditional English Christmas Carol called “I Saw Three Ships . . . “ . The carol says that the ships were “sailing in” to Bethlehem (assumed) because “our Savior, Christ, and His Lady (which is assumed to be Mary) are on the one of those ships. All three ships are landing in Bethlehem on “Christmas day”. Now there are a lot of assumptions here, like the possibility that any ship would be sailing into Bethlehem, as Bethlehem is land locked – no sea within 40 miles. But the message is clear and still resonates in the heart of the Christian: Jesus came to earth and was born! He came to earth because God so loved . . . Yes, God so loved the world that He gave us His Son (John 3:16) – the remedy for sin. Now we know that every Christian knows this fact. But this fact is only the beginning of your story and mine. It is the starting point from which God wants us to launch into all of our tomorrows as we now walk with Him.
In the scripture I referred to above, it says that God gave us His Son. He did. But we often read that verse thinking that His Son, Jesus, was separate from God (almost like a different person than God). And while that is true in function, there is something else that is true. God Himself gave us Himself in the birth of Jesus as He alone would be the acceptable atonement for sin and death. The birth of Jesus, that part of God, could and would bring forgiveness, fellowship and peace with God like nothing else could.
There are three ships referred to in this carol. (In the life of every believer there are three “ships” that we must attend to through our whole life if we are to reach God’s destination for us.) They are (1) Sonship; (2) Lordship, and (3) Discipleship All three are referring to the celebration of the birth of Christ. But I would like to expand the symbolism of the three ships. Having taken that first step as a Christian by opening your heart to believe He is the open door to salvation and a life worth living, the next steps require understanding what’s next as in this Christmas Carol, they will produce something of God’s creative design and intent if we will yield to the process.
Sonship takes place from the moment of birth. It happens inside your spirit when your heart awakens for the first time as you realize you need Jesus. You begin to see people and circumstances differently. You also realize that you are not alone, and that God loves you and wants the best for you. You begin to see your likes and dislikes changing and recognize that you are in a process you are unfamiliar with.
When I received Christ I became more aware of many things that needed to change in me. I remember standing up in church in response to the pastor asking the congregation to complete this sentence: “Since I became a Christian …” I said, “Since I became a Christian, I never knew I had so many problems!” My grammar may not have been the best at that moment, but everyone got the jest of what I was saying. The Pastor and the congregation just starting laughing because of my frankness. But what I said was true. When Jesus came into my life, He started to change me. And in doing so He had to show me things that He wanted to change. He wanted my cooperation. He could have done it sovereignly, but He wanted me to see and learn, yield to Him (lay it down willingly) and grow in knowledge and authority. And this brings me to the next “ship”: Discipleship.
Discipleship by definition is a journey of spiritual growth. – and this journey will take a lifetime. It begins from the moment of your salvation. Once you Invite Jesus into your life at salvation, you have been launched into a daily process of learning what it means to “take up your cross and follow me”. Matthew 16:24 says: “Then Jesus said … Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me”. In other words there is a cost to be paid to follow Jesus. Every person who decides to follow Jesus will have to learn the disciplines, restraint, sacrifice and promises – all of which are vital parts of denying themselves and following Jesus on a path they have never experienced. Denying themselves is never easy. It is pulling back and saying no to something you or I want to continue doing. And choosing to restrain your own will as you follow Jesus, makes room for His life and light to be seen in you. Discipleship is a continual, daily unveiling of who and what you are by molding you into what God has designed for you to become. Discipleship is the “becoming” process of the Christian and is the process that develops the character of an individual. It has been said that character is the choices you make in the dark when you think no one sees you. The decisions made when you don’t think anyone is watching; and when you ignore and disobey the One who saved you are always shaping your character. Restraint is not an option for the believer.
Lordship is supreme power or rule. This is when the Christian is living a life of submission to the will of God. It is when all choices and decisions made are a result of a daily life yielded to, and responding to God’s direction. The Christian reflects the light of God’s presence in their thoughts, speech and works. They have been and are being led day by day with Jesus. God has not become just “the last word”, but the first, last and all points in between. Lordship is when you give all of your heart to Him. There is a verse in a song by Audrey Meir that addresses my thought about the heart. It says, “not just a part, He wants all of your heart; all He wants is YOU.” Lordship is giving all of your heart to Jesus for Him to do whatever He has planned for you.
All three of these “ships” are integrally based on relationship – our relationship with Jesus and God, our Father. In fact, without relationship, they do not, and cannot work. And these three ships will be a part of following Jesus and growing in Him all throughout our life. We will be challenged by them, grow by them, provided for by them, healed by them, and released by them. John 3:16 is all about relationship – the relationship God wants to have with us all. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life” – now that’s a love relationship!
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