As Sara and I sat on the beach at Kenosee Lake last summer, I looked up and saw a pirate walking towards me.
Yes, a pirate!
He had the hat, the big boots, the long coat, the white, ruffly shirt, and a big pirate sword. As you might expect, he also had the attention of everyone on the beach.
The pirate stopped, looked at the lake, and asked a nearby child, “Arrr, have ye seen me boat?”
The kid just stared at him, so the pirate said, “Hmmm, would ye like to dance to a pirate tune?” and he played a sea shanty. When that was over, he said to the child, “Here, take me sword and I will have me picture with ye.”
Before the picture was taken, the pirate made the child strike a pirate pose and say, “Arrr, matey!” Click!
Soon other children lined up to get a picture with the pirate. Then some of the parents came over and got in the act, too. Eventually, the pirate went all the way across the beach, posing for pictures and talking to everyone about pirate life.
When he got close to us, I heard someone ask, “Do you work for the park, or the store, or what? Who pays you to do this?”
The pirate answered, “No one pays me. I was just thinking that after the last two years, people could use a smile, so I figured that a pirate who was lost on the Saskatchewan prairie might be funny. I was just hoping to make someone’s day.” Which he did.
Even as I write this, I am smiling.
Interestingly, this man had to decide to be a pirate before he got the response. Had he talked to everyone about it ahead of time, it would have ruined the experience. He won people over by going out and doing it.
When Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13) and “You are the light of the world” (verse 14), he reminds us that we influence the world around us by being something, not by talking about being it.
My pirate friend thought about what others needed and then found a way to be that for them.
As Christian people, may we learn to do the same.
