Shipbuilding and the Kingdom

A.J. Cronin once wrote of shipbuilding, “One will weave the canvas; another will fell a tree by the light of his ax. Yet another will forge nails, and there will be others who observe the stars to learn how to navigate. And yet all will be as one. Building a boat isn’t about weaving canvas, forging nails, or reading the sky. It’s about giving a shared taste for the sea, by the light of which you will see nothing contradictory but rather a community of love.”

 The kingdom of God shares a good deal in common with this vision of building a ship. We are first bound together by a shared love and in a common purpose through Christ. It’s then God’s pleasure to fill us with a diversity of abilities, and a mosaic of compatible skills, all empowered by Jesus’ perfect love, and set about the Father’s business.

Ephesians 2:10 tells us “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” God has personally equipped you with a brilliant tapestry of talents, passions, and proclivities.

God has placed you in this time, and in this place, to join with the people of God, for the work of the gospel. Whether you chart the course, sew the sail, forge the nails, or sweep the deck, we are a community set about a common purpose.

What is your unique contribution to God’s kingdom?


Ephesians 2:10