08/10/2008
Motorcycle or Lawnmower???
by The Rev. Bob Blackwell
Motorcycle or Lawnmower???
"Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus".
There is a parable told by theologian Soren Kirkegard about a wile goose that was brought down by a hunter’s gun one day. Fortunately, only one wing was injured, and he landed in a barnyard. Naturally, the domestic ducks, geese and chickens who were in the barnyard were quite startled by this sudden visitor from the sky. Soon, however, they gathered around the wild goose and asked him to describe what it was like to fly. The wild goose loved to tell them stories of the glory of flight, of what it was like to soar through the air, to catch the wind and fly high above the clouds. All of the domesticated fowl were quite impressed by his stories, and each day they would gather to hear him share with them to wonder of flight. Soon, they even made a little platform in the barnyard for the wild goose to stand on while he described flying to the barnyard animals.
But do you know what happened? The domesticated geese, ducks and chickens only enjoyed hearing about the glory of flight, but never tried to fly themselves. And the wild goose enjoyed talking about flight so much, that even after his wing was healed, he just continued to talk about flight, but never flew again.
Now, let me draw a parallel between Kirkegaard’s parable, our gospel story, and our life at Grace Church. Today’s reading from Matthew’s gospel is the Reader’s Digest condensed version of the whole gospel. It is about turmoil, fear, Jesus calling our name, Jesus reaching out his hand to us, salvation, and finally worship. In particular, it is the wonderful story of Peter stepping out of the boat to walk with Jesus.
Walking on water is a common experience for all of us. Do you agree with me? Walking on water is a common human experience. We call it "risk taking". And everyone does it. Do you know who Anna Taylor was? She was the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel, and live. Do you know what the last words of a redneck are? "Hey ya’ll, watch this!" Some people go to extremes, but all of us are risk takers to some degree. Just getting out of bed this morning required some risk. Christopher Columbus was a risk taker. Race car drivers are risk takers. Pilots and people who fly are risk takers. But so are scientists, doctors, a child who goes to his first day of school, anybody who has ever gotten married. We all "walk on water" at some point in our lives. Without people who "walk on water", the world would never move forward... there would be no new discoveries, no new businesses, no missionaries, no new homes would be built, no new families would ever happen.
Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky once said: "You miss 100% of the shots you never take." Mark Twain once said: "Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do, than by the ones you did."
There is an Episcopal priest named Wes Salinger, who has written a book about his motorcycle adventures. One day he went to a motor cycle shop and was drooling over a Harley Davidson wishing he could buy it. A salesman came over and began to tell him about all the good looking girls who would be attracted to him if he had this bike. He talked about its speed, acceleration and racing abilities. But when the salesman discovered that Salinger was a minister, he immediately changed his sales pitch, and even the tone of his voice, and began telling him about its good gas mileage, visibility, safety features and practicality. Salinger writes that it happens every time. He says that lawnmower salesmen are never surprised to find a minister shopping for lawnmowers,... but that motorcycle salesmen are always surprised to find the clergy looking at motorcycles.
Why? Salinger believes this tells us a lot about clergy and the church. Lawnmowers are slow, safe, sane, practical and most of the time dependable. Motorcycles are fast, dangerous, wild and thrilling. The common image of the church is "pure lawnmower"....slow, deliberate, safe. Why is being a Christian not more like a motorcycle? This is the story of Peter in today’s gospel. Being with Jesus was exciting, and maybe even a little dangerous? Is this our story?
When Jesus said: "Upon this rock I will build my church", he was talking about Peter, the one, out of 12, who was willing, and daring enough, to get out of the boat and at least try to walk with Jesus. Does that describe the church today?
I think WE are being called to be a little more reckless, and daring, in our walk with Jesus. We are being called to be risk takers, and water walkers. We are being called to be more like a motorcycle, and less like a lawnmower, at Grace Church. In our worship, in our fellowship, and in our ministry, how can we step out of the boat, to see if we are going to sink or swim, or walk on water? How can we be a little more daring in our prayers and worship?...
... to be a little more exciting in our fellowship times together? .... to be a little more dangerous in our ministry to a broken and hungry world?
What would you think about having prayer teams in the church each week, so that if you wanted to be prayed for, someone would pray for you personally? Would you be willing to "ask for prayer?" Step out of the boat?
What about starting up some foyer groups again? Or some other ways of fellowshipping together, getting to know each other, other than simply to speak on Sunday? Would you take the time, and effort? Step out of the boat?
When was the last time you invited someone to church, or visited in the hospital or nursing home, or took a plate of cookies to one of our shut ins? Or volunteered to work at the Good Samaritan Clinic, or teach a Sunday School class? Yes, it is a little scary! Step out of the boat.
I am always a little scared, when I step into this pulpit to preach, or go into a hospital room, or visit with a person in my office who is having trouble. But this is the church. And we have the promise of the gospel, that when we step out of the boat, into the turmoil and tempest of the sea in which this boat sails, and we cry: "Lord, save me.".. we find the hand of Jesus reaching out to us; we find a peace and a calm which only our captain Christ can give. Sometimes He calms the storm, but other times He calms his child. The miracle is the same.
And it is then, and only then, that we are truly able to worship Him.
We are His church! We are called to be his reckless disciples. Not lazy hens in his barnyard, but wild geese meant for the sky, to fly and to soar.
Are you flying? Are we as a church flying? Isn’t it time we traded our lawnmower image for a motorcycle?
Peter said: "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."
And Jesus said: "COME!" AMEN.
