Colors Flying,
by Pastor Jeffrey Holter
“We are just getting started on this journey we are calling a “Parish.’”
This past week, a couple of things happened that I was looking forward to. The first was the engine noise from the race track in Proctor. Every year I anticipate the noise from the Proctor Speed way, and like clockwork, it never disappoints. The engines will begin roaring about 6pm and sometime about 10-11pm it ends. The sound is deafening and I love it.
The other event I enjoy happens on Wednesday evenings during the summer. The sail boats begin lifting their sails and journeying out into the open waters of Lake Superior. It is actually quite magical to watch, especially from the vantage of a hillside in Duluth. The sail boats come in many shapes and sizes, and the sails also come in different sizes and bright and beautiful colors. It is as if all the boats are flying their colors and letting everyone enjoy the freedom of the open water.
There is a familiar story in Matthew’s gospel (Matthew 14: 22-33). It’s the story of Jesus walking on the water. As Matthew tells the story, Jesus comes walking on the water and the disciples in the boat think he is a “Ghost.” I get it--ghosts can be pretty scary. But then Jesus speaks to them and says, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”
What follows is one of those situations where someone over plays his hand. Like Kenny Rogers says, “You got to know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em.” Peter gets it into his head that he too can walk on water and kind of invites himself into the storm. Not a good idea! Anyway, so long as Peter keeps his eyes on Jesus, “ghostly” things stay away. But it doesn’t take long before this story takes a turn. The end of the story is classic Gospel. Jesus steps in and takes Peters hand so that the storm does not overwhelm him. So that death does not have the last word.
We are just getting started on this journey we are calling a “Parish.” It actually could be the biggest storm we will face together. We could be treading some pretty perilous waters, and there are potentially all kinds of “ghosts” out there. It’s frightening and we may also want to over play our hand. Perhaps thinking we can control everything, if we just play our cards right. But the truth is the sea is deep and the waters are rough. I suspect that we have become accustomed to doing things ourselves, even when the water is 10 feet over our heads. This story could spell disaster for us unless…unless Jesus just happens to be close. I mean holding our hands close. Really…close enough to call out to us to take ahold of his hand. To stop trying to control everything on our own. Sounds like perfect advice especially when your name is Peter. “The Rock!”
I like letting everyone know what the shape of my sail looks like. To know what are the colors that I fly under. So here goes. Jesus is first, my wife is second, my family comes next and then comes the church. Of course, after church there are a myriad of other things. One more thing; when times have been difficult like the storm in the gospel story I find that holding Joan’s hand gives me strength. Jesus pulls us out of all sorts of difficult situations. We may find that these two churches are one of God’s way of offering a hand. It will take faith to take that hand, but I believe that we can because Jesus is with us. Close, yes, oh so very close. And promises never to let go!
Blessings, Pastor Jeffrey Holter