Lunnon…

A collaboration piece between Todd and I for his Oral Communication Class…

“My name was Captain Kidd, when I sailed, when I sailed, And so wickedly I did, God’s laws I did forbid, When I sailed, when I sailed. I roamed from sound to sound, And many a ship I found, And then I sunk or burned, When I sailed. You’re welcome to my gold, For I must die, I must die. Farewell to Lunnon town, the pretty girls all round, No pardon can be found, and I must die, I must die, Farewell, for I must die. Then to eternity, in hideous misery, I must lie, I must lie.”
Those are the last words of Captain William Kidd who was hanged in London, England on May 23, 1701.

Turn with me to Matthew 6:19, and I’ll read through verse 21, then reading verse 24 as well.
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. (24) No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Kidd was a fierce pirate who ruled the seas; he battled and looted ship after ship sinking them and her crew. He was one of the wealthiest pirates of his era and his treasure, which he buried, has not been found. Kidd experienced a terrible death: the hangman’s rope broke twice, the third time it held. Once Kidd was dead, his body was dipped in tar and hung by chains along the Thames River. Kidd’s body served as a warning to all would-be pirates for years to come.

Even Captain Kidd, a notorious pirate, knew his treasure would remain on earth as he passed on into eternity. Saying as he was hung, “you’re welcome to my gold, for I must die.” So why do we foolishly store up treasures here on earth, hoping to bury them and keep them safe when we know that our treasures should be stored in heaven where no moth, rust, or treasure hunter can find and take them? Figuratively speaking, why do we ignore the warning of Captain Kidd hanging along the Thames River? Kidd’s body no longer hangs along the riverside and piracy is now a term most frequently used in the media industry. But the same basic concepts are there.

We should take note that Kidd literally stored his treasure here on earth. His wealth was immense; he had ships filled with gold, jewels, spices, fabrics, and everything else you can imagine. He lived with his treasure, and he guarded it with his heart and soul. But this scripture warns us against storing our treasures here on the earth. Kidd stored treasure on earth, in its entirety, would never be able to buy him in to the kingdom, or further him in the afterlife in anyway.

I personally find it humorous that pirates fly under a black flag attacking ships only under the cover of darkness when the captain and crew would be unaware of the presence of the pirate crew. Pirates like Captain Kidd are a prime example of why we humans cannot serve two masters. Kidd had a contract to turn over part of his profits to the King, 60% of them to be exact. But when he hired in his crew he promised them 60% of the profits as well, keeping only 40% for himself as Captain.

When Kidd was turned over to the King of England he was tried as a pirate even though he had a contract to plunder and steal for the throne of England. Kidd was convicted of piracy because his heart was not loyal to the King; his heart was loyal to his treasures. I know for a fact in my life, that when I’m not loyal to the King, my heart is seeking earthly riches and treasures. My sentences are full of I want statements or I need statements. I become greedy and disloyal to Christ and his kingdom. Mutiny reigns in my soul when I start storing my treasures here on the earth.

Because Kidd stored all his treasures on earth, the desires of his heart were also obviously for the earthly. He was well aware of this with his final words “No pardon can be found, and I must die, I must die, Farewell, for I must die. Then to eternity, in hideous misery, I must lie, I must lie.” Kidd knew he was entering an eternity without the treasures he worked his whole life to store. We need to store our treasures up in heaven by living the way Christ has mapped out for us. Then when we face death, unlike Kidd who knew he had seen the best he would have, we will know that the best is yet to come.