By Doug Redford
Acts 27 records Paul’s journey by ship to Rome. The trip was the result of Paul’s appeal to the Roman governor Festus so he could answer certain (false) accusations that had been brought against him. This followed efforts by the Jews in Jerusalem to arrest and then kill him. During the journey, a storm “of hurricane force” (v. 14, New International Version) developed and became so intense that after many days (according to Luke, who was on board the ship), “we finally gave up all hope of being saved” (v. 20).
Two weeks later, Paul addressed everyone on the ship (276, according to verse 37) and urged them all to eat something. Anxiety over the storm had taken away their appetites, and Paul knew this was not good for them. “Now I urge you to take some food,” he told them. “You need it to survive” (v. 34). Luke records that those on board the ship were “encouraged” upon heeding Paul’s advice (v. 36).
Consider the “journey” that we all embark upon each day. We try to navigate through a world that we often find “stormy” in a variety of ways. Some of us experience these storms in an especially personal and challenging way. On some occasions, by the end of a week we’ve had it. We feel as if our ship is about to crash. We’re having difficulty finding our bearings. Perhaps, like those who sailed with Paul, we are tempted to give up hope. Perhaps we too “have been in constant suspense” (v. 33).
Each Lord’s Day, however, we can receive encouragement and spiritual strength through the nourishment provided by Communion. We take these emblems in remembrance of our Savior, who calmed storms and who can calm us even when the circumstances we face are anything but calm. Like the food that Paul urged his fellow passengers to eat, we need what Communion offers to “survive.”
We should also remember as we partake that Jesus, when he instituted Communion with his disciples, knew that what lay ahead for him was not survival; rather, it was the anguish and agony of the cross resulting in his death for the sins of humanity. His resurrection three days later provided the basis for the certain hope that our journey through this world, as unnerving and fearsome as it can sometimes be, will bring us safely home to Jesus.
Doug Redford has served in the preaching ministry, as an editor of adult Sunday school curriculum, and as a Bible college professor. Now retired, he continues to write and speak as opportunities arise.
Very well done, Amen