Meditation: Luke 8:22-25
April 6, 2009
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22 One
day Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of
the lake." So they got into a boat and set out. 23As they
sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the
boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.
24 The
disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to
drown!"
He got up and rebuked
the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was
calm. 25"Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples.
In fear and amazement
they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and
the water, and they obey him."
I chose this
passage for a meditation this week because I was looking for a
message relevant to the time and place we find ourselves this
evening at the end of the LLWL’s course, as disciples of Jesus
“setting out” on a journey “towards the other shore.” We, like the
disciples, seek to accompany Jesus wherever he goes and to be
faithful to that call to join him – a call that may lead,
unexpectedly, to danger.
Perhaps that was
NOT you’re first thought in contemplating leadership as a ________!
Perhaps you, like the disciples, were looking forward to smooth
sailing, or at least a calm trip; with Jesus by your side – or in
your boat. In our deepest selves we often assume safety with God by
our side. But the scripture is clear – to follow Jesus is to place
ourselves at risk – to be put in situations where we may find
ourselves in serious, life-threatening danger! Hmm...That may be a
reason to give pause to the call…
But I imagine
that since the disciples were fishermen, (and we are in ministry
too) they (we) would have been aware that the Sea of Galilee is a
notoriously unpredictable place and those wild storms were frequent
occurrences. Many a time before, I imagine the disciples had safely
navigated such dangers, perhaps on their own, and may have even
become complacent in their routines.
I have been
reading a book this week by Barry Robinson entitled “Lucifer Grows
in our Garden – An Anatomy of Clergy Abuse”. Barry was at one time,
for 30years, a “successful” United Church minister, until he
encountered life-threatening dangers at sea.
The book is an
account of that fateful journey and a picture of the shore he
eventually landed on after his boat capsized. It is an eye-opening
exercise for anyone contemplating engaging in ministry to read, as
it details many of the evils (read dangers) that exist in the Church
today under the guise of “accountable ministry.” The author
identifies a key source of many a raging storm surrounding those who
would seek to follow Jesus “out there” as good old-fashioned envy.
Yes, envy. That gave me pause as well.
He states, “There
are some people within some congregations and some church leaders
acting on behalf of themselves or their communities, who live in
envy; and their next victim will probably be a minister of the
church…It is relatively easy to spot. First there is the
protestation of friendship (admiration, respect = pedestal) Then,
the subtle questioning of motive... (Gee, did you notice?) Followed
by a hint of secret faults or vices (just an observation, really...)
finally, a direct attack on the character (or indirect, depending on
sense of vulnerability) When it is all over, there is not much left
to poor old G_______... Envy, quite simply, is the evil that takes
possession of us when we begin to resent other people for who and
what they are.” Pg106-107
In Barry’s case,
envy became a wild storm and he almost drowned. In our case, envy is
at least one life-threatening danger we will need to contend with
within ourselves and between ourselves and others while we navigate
through our ministry. (After reading this passage I became aware of
my own habitual thinking about a person which was leading in this
very direction!) Beware of placing people on pedestals because they
have a habit of falling off them and disappointing us! If we are
truly secure in ourselves and God’s love for us, there will be no
need to compare ourselves, to admire and then secretly critique, to
seek the gratification of another’s recognition, to obsessively
praise others or just as obsessively bemoan our own failings
As in the Luke
passage, something about this storm, and this place and time was
different. And this time, the disciples realized the danger placed
them in immanent peril; a danger lurking in the background during
all their daily work on the sea.
In this passage I
am more aware of the dynamic between Jesus and his followers; than I
am of the miracle he performed calming the sea and wind. (A miracle
Jesus was reportedly quite “matter-of-fact” about) Rather, I think
the true miracle is hidden in the unanswered comment in the
passage - “Where is your faith?” You see, I do not hear a rebuke
in Jesus’ words. Neither do I hear surprise, sarcasm or
disappointment. I think that is a human projection we place on Jesus
– a projection of our broken image of God.
What I hear is a
nudge – a gentle reminder – a compassionate pointing in the
direction of ourselves – an acknowledgement by Jesus to the power
within us that already exists and is present and accessible within
us NOW – what a wonderful thing!! The God of the Universe considers
us able, and empowers us – asks us to simply recognize that our
power to overcome the dangers “out there” lies within us,
not out there commanding the waves to be still, which is a
relatively small act compared to the miracle of true faith. The true
miracle is when we become believers in the power of God inside us
both to make us aware of the real dangers that exist (in ministry
today), and also to develop our ability to navigate those waters
safely, with Jesus in the boat with us. That journey to the other
shore is what we are engaged in now.
