INTRO LESSON:
TITANIC
Ages 7-12 (Grades 2-6)
Wouldn’t it be exciting to go on a cruise across the ocean? Perhaps you and your family have already done that, but today we are going to talk about a six-year-old girl who was traveling on the fanciest ship of its kind at the time. It was one of the first ships to have a swimming pool. The ship was brand new and was making its first trip from England to New York City. The girl’s name was Annie, but she was called Nana.
Nana was traveling with her father, John, who was on his way to preach at a big church in Chicago. He was a really good preacher and a very kind man. He put his faith in Jesus as a boy, and he began preaching on the streets of his town at age 17. Because of his love for God and people, many put their faith in Christ. Sadly, her mother had died, so John’s sister, Jessie, came along to help take care of Nana. The picture is of the three of them close to the time they sailed.
Although they were second-class passengers, they were allowed to take a look at where the richest guests would be staying. Nana had never seen anything like it. Marble floors, golden light fixtures, beautiful pictures hanging on the walls, and a fancy dining room that could seat 500 people. Her father could see the wonder in her eyes, and he said, “This is really lovely, isn’t it Nana, but it’s nothing compared to the beauty of Heaven. Your mother is enjoying that amazing place right now, and one day we will join her.”
Her father’s face always lit up when he spoke of heaven. His passion was to invite as many people as possible to ask for Christ’s forgiveness so that they too, could be in Heaven one day. Nana often heard her father talking to others about Jesus, and while they spent much time together on the boat, he was often out sharing his faith with other passengers. Nana didn’t mind. She had already put her trust in Jesus, and she was happy that her father had a great love for her and for other people. She almost felt as if she was in God’s presence when her father prayed.
On the third day of the trip, her Aunt Jessie introduced her to another girl on board named Eva Hart. She was just one year older than Nana, and they quickly became friends. They decided to pretend that they were traveling in first-class, so they had a tea party. They even included Eva’s teddy bear. Nana pretended to be a rich Scottish countess who was on board. Eva acted like Edith Evans, a rich American woman. What fun they had. Nana was grateful that God had provided someone to enjoy her time with.
Satan didn’t win that time, but he didn’t quit. He took Jesus up on top of the temple and said, “Isn’t it written that if you jump from here, the angels will catch you before you hit the ground? Go ahead, jump, and then everyone will think you are great.” Jesus again replied from the scriptures. “It is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” (Deuteronomy 6:16).
On Sunday, April 14th, Nana put on a brand-new dress, one that had been given to her by the people of her church back in Scotland. It was pink and the most beautiful dress she had ever owned. Together, she and her father, and Jessie made their way to the church service being held on the ship. Nana loved going to church, and on this day, she sat next to her new friend, Eva. Together they sang Nana’s favorite hymn, O God, Our Help In Ages Past.
Nana noticed that the air was getting colder as the ship made its way through the North Atlantic Ocean. That night, she put on her warmest pajamas and listened closely as her father read from his Bible. He then took her to the window and showed her all of the stars. She had never seen so many in her life. Out on the ocean, the view of them was so much clearer. He told her that there were even more that she couldn’t see and of the God Who made them all and Who knew them all by name. That same God loved them and was watching over them.
Her father tucked her in, and Nana drifted off into a peaceful sleep. A little after midnight, he gently woke her up. The ship had hit an iceberg and was taking on water. Everyone said that the ship was unsinkable, but at that moment it was sinking. He told her to dress in her warmest clothes, and together they put on their life vests and went up on deck.
There was a lot of commotion as the sailors were loading people onto lifeboats. John hugged and kissed Nana, telling her that he loved her and that he would see her again. Then he helped her and her Aunt Jessie get onto lifeboat 11, which was then lowered into the dark sea below. He could have gotten on with them, since he was her only parent, but John had a more important task that night. He knew that Nana had asked Jesus to forgive her of her sins and that if she died, she would go to heaven, but many people on board had never done that, and many would not live to see the morning.
Nana learned later that her father bravely spent his last minutes of life telling others the way to heaven. Many people told her what a blessing he had been to them in their hour of need. A year later, at a gathering of TITANIC survivors, a man testified that he was John Harper’s last convert.
Nana was raised by her Uncle and Aunt in London and remained faithful to Jesus all of her life. She worked at a Bible College in London, where she met Philip Pont. They got married and had two children, Gordon and Mary. The family moved back to Scotland, where Philip pastored a Baptist Church, and they served there together for many years.
On April 10th, 1989, Nana joined her mother, father, and Jesus in heaven. If she were here today, she would tell how lifeboat 11 saved her life that night from the sinking Titanic. What she would love more would be to tell you how Jesus saved her from her sins.
You see, we have all done things that displease God, things like lying, disobeying, saying and thinking bad things. God hates sin, and He will not allow it in heaven. So, we have a problem. How do we get rid of our sin? Because God loves us so much, He made a way. He sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins. To have your sins forgiven, you must: Admit you are a sinner (Romans 3:23), Believe with all of your heart that Jesus paid for your sins and He is the only way to heaven (John 14:6), and Call on Him to save you (Romans 10:13). Have you done that?