Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, April 25, 2024
In this scene overlooking the Columbia River at Astoria, ships are waiting for their next leg of travel up the river. We enjoyed watching pilot boats meeting with ships to transfer river pilots and bar pilots. When a ship is traveling on the river, they need a river pilot who knows the channels and safe routes. The way it works is a pilot boat, which looks a bit like a tugboat, carries a river pilot out to the ship. The ship lowers a ladder or small stairs down to the boat’s level. Then the pilot climbs the ladder to begin their work. It turns out to be a surprisingly coordinated process because there are two pilots. A bar pilot helps navigate the short but difficult mouth of the river, and a river pilot navigates the longer length of the river. So, there might be a transfer where one pilot boards the ship, and another pilot disembarks. There is also a little drama when the pilot transfers between boat to ladder because they are both moving.
A lot of goods are transported by ship. It reminds me again how connected we all are. In thinking about goods and our relationship to God, I like these verses.
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
1 Peter 1:18,19
This is another way we are all connected. We rely on Jesus and God for our redemption.