Jim Elliot's Last Christmas

Escaping the horrendous North Atlantic storm that nearly took his life, John emerged with a newfound faith in Christ. But the days ahead were far from smooth sailing. As with many new believers, those early first steps of following Christ are filled with faltering stumbles of spiritual immaturity and well laid snares by an unseen enemy. But through them all, God recovered John again and again and brought him to a place of obtaining the love of his life.

Emerging from captivity, John soon ventured upon a life in Africa of growing wealth and boundless exploration of his depraved desires. That is until he was lured by prospects of inheritance onto a ship bound for England, a ship whose near floundering changed John’s life forever.

Press ganged into the Royal Navy, John’s haughty personality and infatuation turn what might have been a prestigious opportunity into a disgraceful ruin. And, the chance encounter with a slave ship which he thought to be his rescue proved to be a nightmare.

Over 250 years ago, wooden boats powered by canvas sails tried the seas with no assurances that they would ever set foot on solid ground again. On the high seas, sailors at the mercy of rolling waves and raging storms do what they have done since the days of Jonah, they cry out to God. Such was the case with a blasphemous deckhand named John. At first, he hesitated, considering how he had forsaken God so long ago for a life abandoned to wickedness. But cry John did. And the Lord heard that cry, reaching down with a tender hand of love and grace and not only saved John from the storm, but rescued his life from the depths of sin. This act of God would eventually impact much of the world for centuries to come.

The Mad Queen of Madagascar’s first draught of martyr’s blood, which brought her a continuous thirst for more, was from of a young woman named Rasalama; a peasant girl in the poor village of Manjakaray in Madagascar. The queen’s intent was to either cause the girl to beg for her life, casting aside her Christian faith, or to use her gruesome execution to send a chill of fear upon all that might be persuaded to heed the words of this Jesus. In the end, it did neither.

Burrage Lane made sure his hunting rifle was loaded with dry shot, then he slid the weapon into his saddle. Anger boiled within him, as he looked at the gun. The man he was there to find had to be stopped at all costs because what he was spouting from behind that pulpit was poison, as far as he was concerned. But he did promise his wife that he would go and hear what the preacher had to say one time.

The series of personal tragedy and suffering that Elizabeth Payson Prentiss encountered is hard to fathom. Stories of lesser personal loss have caused many individuals to completely shut out the idea of a loving, personal almighty God. So what would become of Elizabeth, this heart-broken mother, wife of a respected Presbyterian pastor, and daughter of arguably the most beloved and powerful pastor’s of 19th century New England? More. She would plead to God for more.

John quickly kissed the forehead of his daughter and handed her to the crewman, who then handed her to Jesse. When Nana saw that her daddy was not following, she began to cry and scream, “Daddy! Daddy! No! Don’t leave me!” Through the tears in her eyes, she saw her daddy turn and disappear into the crowd. As the lifeboat lurched down toward the cold waters of the North Atlantic, Nana could hear her father’s booming voice over chaotic crowd, “Women and children and the unsaved into the lifeboats! Women and children and the unsaved into the lifeboats!”

With his heart filled by the joy of the Christmas story, and the gift of a Savior, Jim Elliot (as well as his four friends) had no idea that a few days hence they would pay the ultimate price for their desperate attempt to make the good news known to all people. The music for this episode is listed below and was adapted for length under a Creative Commons License. The Owl – Moon Saturday The Owl – Rainy Sun The Owl – Winter Smoke

There are some for whom the Christmas season magnifies their sorrow more than their joy. The stringing of lights, the gifts under the tree, and the arrangement of the Christmas dinner table are only stinging reminders that someone who was once there is gone. The great evangelist D.L. Moody was no stranger to such heartache. But in his last moments, God gave him the most astounding gift that anyone could ever receive: The Gift of Hope.