Man the lifeboat, our ship is sinking,
going down its glory shrinking.
All we work for, all we save,
slips below the rolling wave.
Don’t look behind, don’t hesitate,
no time to lose, no time to wait.
Those who tarry are taken below,
for ignoring the warning, for moving too slow.
The alarm has sounded, may all make haste,
before your soul is laid to waste.
The Lifeboat has room for all aboard,
the shores of paradise its headed toward.
The lifeboat will weather the very worst gale,
it comes from above no way it will fail.
Its keel is a crossbeam stained with blood,
battered and beaten dragged through the mud.
All our hope borne on this craft
to take us home, home at last.
Where all tears vanish with pain and death,
where there’s peace and love and joyful rest.
For God so loved this human race,
He gave this Lifeboat a name, a face.
He beckons all to enter in,
to leave behind our trouble, our sin.
And when you enter, bring body and soul,
leave earthly treasures back in the hold.
The Lifeboat is free to all who believe,
and trust not their fate to the wrath of the sea.
Don’t try to barter, haggle, or pay;
the price of this trip is just that you pray:
“Oh God in heaven a sinner I am,
please send your lifeboat ‘Son of Man.’”
Tertius
But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost;
only the ship will be destroyed.
Acts 27:22
A note about “Man the Lifeboat”: When thinking about the brevity of life it’s quite easy to compare our mortal frames to a sinking ship. Feels like I’m on the bridge and my feet are getting wet.