Luke Pearson

Dear Friends,
 

This week, I stumbled across an article written by Fred Barbash in The Washington Post that caught my attention. The article’s focus was on the heroic efforts of Petty Officer 2nd Class Darren Harrity, a Coast Guard helicopter rescue swimmer who swam a mile in perilous ocean waters to save four stranded fishermen off the coast of Cape Blanco, Oregon. As I read the initial title, I knew that this would be a story of an individual's bravery, perseverance, and duty to save those who were lost at sea. Although, what intrigued me to continue reading the article were the words used to describe Harrity’s incredible acts in the first sentence. Barbash writes, "A Coast Guard spokesman called it, 'an amazing story’, a ‘monumental effort’ of sort he’d never heard or seen before” (The Washington Post, 22 July 2015, P. 1). I was curious to see what made this rescue particularly ‘monumental? What happened in those dark and frigid ocean waters that ignited the hearts And spirits of Harrity’s fellow servicemen? 
 

On that night, a 52-ft fishing vessel had run aground. As the fishermen were abandoning ship, the Coast Guard arrived to perform a standard rescue. However, as Harrity was being lowered into the water there was a mechanical issue with the rescue crane, so he could not be hoisted back up in the helicopter. Therefore, he had to swim 250 yards through five feet waves to the fisherman’s lifeboat, and take each of them one at a time back to shore. Even though the moment was filled with distress, and fear, Harrity was able to save all four fishermen, and tenaciously swam them safely to shore. 
 

In today’s Daily Office readings, we are both witnesses and participants in the joyful realization that through the Messiah, death and despair are conquered, and we are saved. We celebrate the fact that when it comes to God’s awesomeness there are no insuperable obstacles in his way. In the Old Testament, the Prophet Isaiah exults God’s ability to save us even in our worst circumstances. The Prophet states, “It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” In the Gospel according to John, Jesus reminds his disciples to be brave when facing the troubles of the world. He reassures them that God will never abandon them and that, “... I am not alone because the Father is with me... But take courage; I have conquered the world!”
 

Beloved friends, without God’s eternal love and everlasting grace we are hopelessly lost at sea. With desperate voices we cry out for our Savior, so that we may not be taken by the frigid waves of this life. Whether we are stranded in the midst of the deepest ocean or crying out from the highest mountain, God is present and will deliver us. The rescue swimmers live out their mission by their motto: “So other’s may live”, and so does God. For God gave up his only begotten son so that we all may live. Christ conquered the world, and as Christians, this reality is not just monumental but miraculous. By this truth alone I say “Hallelujah!” For God will always be there to answer our plea, and swim us to the shores of our salvation. 
 

Blessings,
Luke Pearson