Noah’s Ark

You will all remember the story of Noah’s ark in the Book of Genesis, and how Noah, having been warned by God that a terrible flood was coming, made an ark so that he and his family and the animals would be safe.  When the flood came the water rose to a depth of over 15 cubits, that is, over 22 feet (Genesis 7:20), and as a result all the people in the area were drowned except for those in the Ark.

The Ark of Christ’s Church

Now, just as the Ark kept Noah and his family safe from the dangers of the Flood, so the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ to which we belong can keep us safe from the dangers which threaten our souls.  So in the Prayer Book Baptism Service, the priest prays that the person “…may be received into the ark of Christ’s Church…” and “…may so pass the waves of this troublesome world, that finally he may come to the land of everlasting life…” (1)

The Church, a great ship of safety

We can think, then, of the Church as a great ship of safety and of Our Lord as its Captain, steering us to the harbour of Heaven, where God is seen by his Blessed Saints.  But just as the passengers and crew of a big liner are surrounded on every side by the many dangers of the sea, like sharks or mountainous waves, so we who are members of the Church are surrounded by many dangers to our souls.  Only one thing can take us away from God or keep us way from him, and that is sin.  And sin, as you know, is any thought, word or act which is wrong in his eyes.  In other words, when we sin we go away from God and, unless we do something about it, we stay away from him.  As Holy Scripture says, sin is “to desert the Lord, and to turn one’s heart away from one’s maker” (Jerusalem Bible, Ecclesiasticus 10:12,13,14,15).

Forgiveness of sins

But all the time we remain faithful members of his Church, we are safe; for in the Church Our Lord gives us the means of getting rid of our sins and of living close to himself.  We all know the hymn, “There is a green hill far away”.  That is a really great hymn because it puts so much truth in so few words.  But let’s think now of the third verse:

“He died that we might be forgiven,
he died to make us good,
that we might go at last to heaven,
saved by his precious blood”. (2)

He died that we might be forgiven, so that we could get rid of our sins and be brought back to God.  And so, three days after his Crucifixion, when he met the Apostles on Easter Day, he lost no time in giving us the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Penance).  “If you forgive the sins of any”, he told them, “they are forgiven them…” (NRSV,John 20:23).  In other words, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or Confession as we often call it, is one of the great steps which Our Lord has taken for the safety of our souls, for by it the grip of our past sins upon us is shaken off, and our souls are made clean again and there is no longer anything to keep us from God.

Holy Communion

Another great step for our safety was taken by Our Lord on the night before his Crucifixion when, at the Last Supper, he gave us the Eucharist.  For at every Eucharist Jesus is in our midst in the Blessed Sacrament and brings us to his Father.  And when we make our Communion we are completely united to him so that he and ourselves become part of one another, and in that way he makes us like himself.

Goodness

So he died to make us good; not goody-goody, you notice, but fine and true and pure and generous as he is.  There is nothing weak about Jesus – you have only to look at a crucifix to know that – and there is nothing weak about goodness.  It is the strongest thing in the world.  You have only to think of the Christian martyrs to see that, for they were able to die for Our Lord and they did because they shared in his own strength and holiness.  Their victory was his.

And goodness is not only about avoiding sin; it is about doing positive acts of kindness, gentleness, thoughtfulness and so on in our everyday lives.  So if your mother or father seems tired and worried, try to help by doing some extra jobs about the home.  Remember to thank them for what they do for you, for example, cooking nice meals, taking you on outings and buying you new clothes.  You may also find you can help support a charity supporting people less fortunate than you.

So long, therefore, as we make our Confession and Communions regularly, and go the Eucharist Sunday by Sunday, remember to say our prayers, and never give up trying to do positive acts of goodness, then we are safe; and Our Lord, who is our Captain, will bring us to the harbour of everlasting life.  It is when people leave the Church, that their souls are in danger, because then they leave Our Lord and the safety he provides.  They are then like someone on an ocean liner who jumps overboard when out at sea.

This state of salvation

In the Prayer Book Catechism this state of safety from the power of sin is called “this state of salvation”.  “And I heartily thank our heavenly Father, that he hath called me to this state of salvation, through Jesus Christ our Saviour.  And I pray unto God to give me his grace, that I may continue in the same unto my life’s end”. (1) So salvation means being saved from the effects of our sins in the past, saved from committing sins in the present, until finally we are free from sin for ever.

Thus Our Lord, by his death on the Cross, has made it possible for us to be saved from sin.  Through his Church and her Sacraments he has given us the means to be saved from sin now.  And if we remain true to him and use his Sacraments as faithful members of his Church, so we shall enter the glory of Heaven and be saved for ever.

Note: these three stages of salvation are to be found in the Prayer of General Thanksgiving – Redemption, Grace and Glory. (4)

SUMMARY

1. Salvation means being saved from the effects of our sins in the past, saved from committing sins in the present, until finally we are free from sin for ever.

2. Through his death on the Cross, Our Lord has made it possible for us to be saved from our sin.  Through his Church and her Sacraments he has given us the means to be saved now.  And if we remain true to him and use his Sacraments as faithful members of his Church, we shall enter the glory of Heaven and be saved for ever.  For the Church is the Ship of Salvation, and her Captain is Jesus himself.

References

1. Church of England (1662) The Book of Common Prayer.  The Ministration of Publick Baptism of Infants to be used in the church.  Available from:
http://www.cofe.anglican.org/worship/liturgy/bcp/texts/publick-baptism-of-infants.html  (Accessed 29 July 2010) (Internet).

2. Alexander, C.F. (1848) There is a green hill far away.  Available from:
http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/t/t435.html  (Accessed 25 August 2010) (Internet).

3. Church of England (1662) The Book of Common Prayer.  A Catechism.  Available from:
http://www.cofe.anglican.org/worship/liturgy/bcp/texts/catechism.html  (Accessed 25 August 2010) (Internet).

4. Church of England (1662) The Book of Common Prayer. Prayers and Thanksgivings.  Available from:
http://www.cofe.anglican.org/worship/liturgy/bcp/texts/14-prayersandthanksgivings.html  (Accessed 25 August 2010) (Internet).