Saturday 10 March 2012

John Adams

John Adams

I have just finished a book, “After the Bounty” by Cal Adams.  It is the story of what happened to the survivors of the Bounty mutiny after they arrived on Pitcairn’s Island.  It is a fascinating history; freed from the tyranny of a cruel Captain these sailors return to Tahiti to pick up their beautiful women partners and six Tahitian men who want to share their adventure.  Nine months of searching led Fletcher Christian to their new home.
What future was there for this small group?
They started settling into their new home.  These seemed good days.
But even in these early days not every one was happy.   The Tahitian men had grievances about the allocated land and the women.
When one of the sailor’s women died the sailors took one of the Tahitians’ women for his own.  Pitcairn’s island exploded and became a hell on earth.  The Tahitian men rebelled.  They killed many of the mutineers. The women then retaliated by all killing all the Tahitian men. 
William McCoy perfected a still and things got even worse.  Gardens neglected.  The women were left to bring up the children, while the men drank themselves into a stupor.  
The brave Bounty sailors’ story at this stage is one of rebellion, murder, abduction and probable rape, depression, alcoholism, sexual permissiveness and abuse, suicides, violence and the exploitation of the Tahitian men.  A sad legacy but then a miracle, Ned Young, suffering asthma, knows he probably does not have long to live starts teaching John Adams to read and write.  In their sober moments they recognised their responsibility to the children.  Ned and John started a school, but Ned was not well enough to continue and had to leave the near illiterate and constantly drunk John Adams to take over as teacher.
There was limited reading material, the Book of Common Prayer and the Bible.  God spoke to Adams through these books.  Reading them Adams learnt of the freedom he could have from the guilt he had been carrying around.  Adams also received a vision of what life could be like for his small community.  From that moment Adams made it his life’s work to teach the children, to invest in their future.
He must have done a great job.  A few years later two of his Majesty’s warships anchored at Pitcairn.  By rights they should have left with Adams in chains, to be hung in England, but the two Captains decided the best thing was to leave Adams there, leading his people. 
The Bounty mutiny and John Adams are part of the story of present day Norfolk Island.  John Adams was the leader, teacher and pastor.  His dramatic turn around preceded everyone on Pitcairn finding that same salvation.  Adams’ life was turned around and he found his purpose.  Pitcairn was transformed from a hell on earth to an earthly paradise famous throughout the world as a community of Christian faithfulness.
God gave John Adams a choice, would he continue to waste his life in drunkenness and violence or would he accept the offer of redemption and forgiveness God offered him?  Fortunately for Norfolk Island Adams chose to follow God. 
We have a similar decision to make.  Will we live as rebels, mutinying against our maker, or will we accept God’s offer of friendship with him through Jesus his Son?
The Prayer of John Adams
Suffer me not, O Lord, to waiste this day in sin and folly
But let me worship Thee with much delight;
Teach me to know more of Thee
And to serve Thee better than ever I have done before,
That I may fitter to dwell in heaven
Where Thy worship and service are everlasting.
                                                                                         AMEN
Written on Pitcarn Island for the Lord's Day morning.






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