The Light of the Gospel

While someone may feel stuck, hopeless, and headed nowhere, the message of Jesus always changes lives. It doesn’t matter who the person is, where they live, what they’ve done, or what their religious background is: the message of hope is still found in Christ, and it is he who changes life. According to the Navy Times, the 2016 film Finest Hours depicted a heroic set of true events correctly (“Real Story behind ‘The Finest Hours’: How the Movie Compares,” Navy Times, February 13, 2016, https://www.navytimes.com/offduty/movies-video-games/2016/02/13/real-story-behind-the-finest-hours-how-themovie-compares/). It tells the story of the Coast Guard’s greatest small-boat rescue. In the winter of 1952, off the coast of Cape Cod, a hurricane force storm caused two massive ships (the SS Fort Mercer and the SS Pendleton) to split in half. Men set out on a thirty-six-foot lifeboat to save dozens of lives. The trip to get to the surviving men was tough enough, but the way back had its own challenges, as they did not have a clear direction to find land. It was the lights of many vehicles off the dock there in New England that allowed the men to find their way back to land and safety. Without the lights, the rescued and rescuers might have died, even after such a noble undertaking. Like the vehicles off the dock, the message of the gospel is a light and hope to all who are broken, weary, lost. Thanks to the endless love and grace of Christ, the gospel knows no boundaries.