According to the calendar summer is almost over. Some days the weather seems to agree with the calendar. Some days, well, it is hard to tell. But that is summer in Minnesota; heck, that’s the weather in Minnesota; always changing.
A lot of times it seems that is the way the whole world works, from the weather to politics, from finance to family, changing all the time, nothing to hold on to, nothing to rely on.
At Light of the Cross Church, we share one thing we know we can rely on: God’s love and forgiveness. That is what our mission statement declares and that is the basis for our core values. We do our best to live in that love and share that forgiveness with everyone we can. There are times in my personal journey that this is a difficult challenge. There are times in my personal life that I don’t want to be consistently loving and forgiving. But then here comes eternally consistent Jesus, pumping in a constant supply of love to share, reminding me repeatedly that I am forgiven. And if I am, well, I have no right not to be forgiving. As a congregation we produce the same kind of inconsistent behavior. But we try our best, and the Spirit shakes us up and reminds us again and we try again.
That’s what makes it a journey.
And that’s why I’m on it with you.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Wave Journeys
One of the joys of living up in vacationland is the chance to see family and friends as they enjoy the area. We get to see family, especially from the Twin Cities a lot more in the summer. Our nephews came up to visit for a few days earlier this summer, and they brought their parent’s boat. Which is cool, because our boat is vintage and not working very well and needing another coat of paint (but that’s another blog). So we used it, several times. One day when we hit the lake the day that turned stormy. The 16 year old nephew was driving—fast—right into the storm and the 5-year old was getting scared. When the rain started falling so did his tears.
The only comfort he got from his tough-guy uncle (me) was “You’ll be fine” as the rain stung our faces in the front of the boat. This was so comforting to him that he cried harder.
Finally my wife called him to the safety of her arms in the back of the boat and to the comfort of a soothing lullaby. He stopped crying, and the sun came back out and all was right with the world again.
The journey we are on as people of God sometimes looks like that little episode. At church we learn about Jesus sharing that same kind of comfort with his followers. We know --and we try to share-- that the loving power is offered to all of us, even if we head too fast into the storms of our lives.
Why do we head right for the storm, even when we know better? The 16 year-old boat pilot did not have the benefit of experience and wisdom, so he can be excused (except for his tendency to want to torture the 5 year-old a little). But even old guys like me can be found squinting our eyes in the face of the blowing rain, thinking we need to be brave or just because we are stubborn. Jesus calms the storms, even calls us to walk out into the midst of the crashing waves. But not alone. And not as an exercise in bravado. He calls us to His side in the midst of the storm.
That’s a journey we can handle.
I’m on the journey with you.
The only comfort he got from his tough-guy uncle (me) was “You’ll be fine” as the rain stung our faces in the front of the boat. This was so comforting to him that he cried harder.
Finally my wife called him to the safety of her arms in the back of the boat and to the comfort of a soothing lullaby. He stopped crying, and the sun came back out and all was right with the world again.
The journey we are on as people of God sometimes looks like that little episode. At church we learn about Jesus sharing that same kind of comfort with his followers. We know --and we try to share-- that the loving power is offered to all of us, even if we head too fast into the storms of our lives.
Why do we head right for the storm, even when we know better? The 16 year-old boat pilot did not have the benefit of experience and wisdom, so he can be excused (except for his tendency to want to torture the 5 year-old a little). But even old guys like me can be found squinting our eyes in the face of the blowing rain, thinking we need to be brave or just because we are stubborn. Jesus calms the storms, even calls us to walk out into the midst of the crashing waves. But not alone. And not as an exercise in bravado. He calls us to His side in the midst of the storm.
That’s a journey we can handle.
I’m on the journey with you.
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