If we were in Sweden today, we might visit the Vasa Museum in Stockholm where the remains of Sweden’s most famous warship is on display. It was on today’s date of April 24, in 1961, that The Vasa was salvaged from her resting spot on the bottom of the Baltic Sea and has been visited by more than 45 million people since. In her short life, The Vasa was designed to be the crowning glory of Sweden, made of the most desirable woods, painted in gloriously bright reds, greens and gold, and fitted with two rows of bronze cannons that were capable of sinking other ships in a single broadside of firepower. She was fashioned to be King Gustavus Adolphus’ flagship and the pride of Sweden’s navy.
It is hard for us to regard that in the early 17th century, Sweden was one of the most dominant military powers in Europe and definitively the most powerful military in the Baltics. Not only did Sweden expand her control over Finland and Estonia, but several smaller nations as well, and Adolphus was set upon ruling over Poland and Lithuania also.
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Rashly fantasizing about his resplendency in riding such a majestic flagship against Poland, Adolphus forced his vainglorious illusions over the expertise of his mariner craftsmen. The king’s engrossment of himself amid bright colors entering into the naval fray upon high seas and basking in all the attention was more akin to the grand marshal aboard a float in the Mardi Gras Parade. His envisages of personal grandeur were so prevailing he neglected the seaworthiness of the Vasa. Just a few iron cannons would not be enough. His flagship had to have bronze — 56 of them in two tiers, making the Vasa top heavy and ill-balanced.
No wonder she was toppled by a meager “breeze†on her maiden voyage of a mere 1,400 yards.
Vainglory or pride has encumbered humans since creation, at least since mirrors were invented, as few of us can pass without just a bit of primping. From way back in the Old Testament times through the writings of Paul and John in the New Testament, God’s Word has found it necessary to speak to this issue. Some of us will spend a fortune on new clothes to the detriment of contributing a donation to feed the hungry. Basketball players will compete for the most adroit dunk-shots or football players their well-choreographed dance steps while giving fist-pumps. We all are tempted to show off with new cars, casually mention our successful investments or our memberships in socially elite circles, display trophy wives, manicured nails or some other overt evidence of what sociologists label conspicuous consumption. King Adolphus simply had a rather grand case of this problem, sometimes referred to as the eighth sin of the Seven Deadly ones.
But we all have been guilty of pride!
The truth aligned with this fault, and what we really do not wish to regard is that eventually someone has to pay for our ego trips, and the price is costly. For Sweden, the war with Poland was lost, as were most of her territorial conquests, and the nation has never recovered its former European leadership status. While such weakness is to be found in all human relations, it is especially displeasing and regrettable in worship environs.
The cure for the trouble is strikingly conspicuous. The difficulty lies not in noting the problem but in distinguishing our own egos from the will of God. The pastor who longs to be acknowledged for his/her oratory ability may actually excel, but s/he needs to focus on the glory of the Lord and not self. The layperson, who has been so gifted financially they possess resources sufficiently able to expand the congregation’s mission, should be mindful of the church’s calling and not their inclination for control.
From the outset of His ministry when Satan tempted the Lord in the desert, Jesus made it clear that He would not yield to theatrics for convenience or notoriety. He still remains the example that we should imitate.
Johnny Phillips
The Rev. Johnny A. Phillips is a retired minister who lives in Burke County. Email him at phillips_sue@bellsouth.net.
