Ah, that Crew! The Crew that mans
That awesome Ship whose voyage spans
From earth to heaven, the sea of time,
A chosen Crew, a Ship sublime.
A Crew unlike all crews, aboard
A Ship unlike all ships; the Lord
And Captain, standing at the wheel,
Is Christ Himself. Around Him kneel
The adoring Crew. They’ll die, they’ll live,
Their sweat and toil and tears they’ll give
But for the chance to man His Ship
On this immortal, heavenly trip!
Brave men they are, both young and old;
By utter loyalty made bold,
From every nation, come to serve
With arm and sinew, heart and nerve,
They flee no danger, feel no fear;
Their faith is firm, their mission clear;
Their calling and commitment sure,
Their hearts and motives all are pure
Through calm, through gale, through dreadful night,
Old sailors, veterans of the fight—
New sailors, doing all they can—
They’re all but students of the Man
Who guides the Ship. Not men of fame,
No skilled elite who’ve earned a name,
No pompous churchmen in the dress
Of artificial holiness;
No robes too starched, no minds too great,
To stoop and lift a fallen mate,
Or dive into a murky wave
Some dying sinner’s life to save.
Their aristocracy, their pride,
Their past has all been laid aside,
Ah, what a Crew! Unlikely Crew,
Each one unique, yet each one true;
Original, authentic, made
For his own place, (no parts are played)
Unswerving from the Pilot’s plan,
Their only Model is that Man!
For them He struggled, suffered, bled,
Now their last drop of blood they’d shed
For Him. In this, in this alone
These varying men are all made one ...
They know their Captain! What a life!
They are redeemed; no storms or strife
Can kill their joy. Made free, made new,
Oh, what a motley, joyous Crew!
Love is the watchword on the decks;
With love they reach out to the wrecks
Of other ships around them lost,
To souls upon the billows tossed.
With hearts as tender as their Lord’s
They meet the foe and draw their swords
And make the hosts of hell retreat.
A love that never knows defeat.
They love so much it overflows,
No greater joy a Crew mate knows
Then when from billowy depths of sin
A drowning man is brought safe in,
Finds joy and life forever new,
And fellowship among the Crew.
—James Troyer
—Santiago, Costa Rica
