Maybe you are like me. One of the things that most attracts me to the Episcopal Church is the symbolism.
And one of the symbols we use a lot is the symbol of the boat. Not only does the boat represent the physical thing that carries us across the water, it also is a symbol for the church.
I’ll never forget the Sunday, early in my ministry, when I just finished leading the Sunday liturgy.
As we sang the final strains of the last hymn, it hit me. I had just taken the boat that is the church out for a sail and had just brought it safely in to shore!
So cool!
Another meaning of the boat symbol is that it represents the earthen vessel – the individual.
We have on board, of this earthen vessel, the One who created the universe, formed the seas, and as today’s gospel reminds us, has power over the waves.
Through the gift of the Holy Spirit that powerful One is present in us.
Doesn’t that just blow you away?
Maybe not. We often take it so matter of factly. Ho Hum, yes, the Holy Spirit dwells in me.
We forget or fail to draw the obvious conclusion.
If the powerful One dwells in me then . . .
But we forget that, and along come the storms in our lives or in the lives of those we love, and we feel powerless over them.
Stormy relationships, illness, emotional problems, trouble at work, addictions.
We sometimes become overwhelmed by the events in our lives.
Along comes a storm and we forget to wake up the power that is in us. We are too focused on the storm.
Or worse yet, we say wonderful things to ourselves, like:
- This will never get any better.
- This is just the way my life is. I might as well get used to it.
- I deserve this in my life because of all the mistakes I have made.
- God brought this into my life to teach me a lesson.
- I’m supposed to learn to endure suffering, so I’ll be a better Christian
I defy you to show me anywhere in the gospels where someone comes to Jesus for healing or to be rid of the demons that haunt them and Jesus says
- No, I’m sorry I won’t heal you. You’re getting what you deserve.
- No, I’m not going to get rid of your demons today. I think that if you live with them a little longer there’ll be a valuable lesson in it for you.
Jesus does not want us to suffer one moment longer with the chaos in our lives.
He and all the power of the Universe, the powerful energy of the One who holds all of Creation in his hand is available to us – available to do miraculous things in our lives. Things that will make our jaws drop.
Our inheritance as followers of Jesus the Christ is power. That’s the gift we celebrated on Pentecost and that he promises each and every one of us. Power to do miraculous things.
Think of some of the things Jesus said to his disciples and says to us.
Matthew 17:20 If you had faith no bigger than a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, “Move from here to there” and it would move. Nothing will be impossible for you.
John 14:12 Whoever has faith in me will do what I am doing, indeed he will do greater things.
Acts 1:8 You will receive power when the Holy Spirit falls upon you.
Jesus was in the business of empowering people – He expected them to be powerful people doing powerful and miraculous things.
Jesus has given us all we need to be powerful people. People who can channel the spiritual energy of the Creator of the Universe to do incredible things:
- to bring peace in chaos
- to rid us of the demons and addictions that haunt us
- to bring health in illness
We are called to be powerful people, to wake the sleeping giant in each and every one of these earthen vessels.
How do we do it?
- First – choose to look away from the storm and remember the power of the Universe is in us and available to us.
- Wake the sleeping giant within through prayer.
Prayers like: Let me experience the power of Your Presence
Let me be a channel of your healing
- Be immersed in that energy and power that is in you.
- Focus on what you would like to see happen – the healing, the peace in a relationship, the calming of an inner turmoil, the perfect job.
- Allow awareness of the energy and power within you to fuel your prayers for the situation and to give you a vision, a picture in your mind of the prayer being answered and just sit with it.
- Thank God for the healing that has already begun even before you see the effects of it.
- Repeat as needed.
There is a learning curve to this. It takes some practice. It needs to be a part of your life.
The story is told of a Kansas farmer who found a baby eagle in one of his fields. The poor young eagle was not in good condition and the farmer took it back to his home to nurse it back to health. Over the next few weeks, the eagle did well, and the farmer put it in with the young chicks in his chicken pen.
Although the eagle did well during the first weeks, it began to grow listless and seemed to be losing its strength. The farmer feared the young eagle was going to die after all, until – one day the farmer had an inspiration. He packed the eagle in his pickup truck and headed west for the Colorado mountains. When he arrived at the eastern edge of the Rockies, the farmer took the young bird deep into the foothills. Finally, he held the eagle in his arms and pointed its head to the mountain tops where the wind was blowing, and an occasional eagle cried out as it traced the currents of the mountain winds.
A strong shudder coursed through the eagle’s body, and it spread its wings as a new strength seemed to surge through the bird. It stood and leaped into the air, caught a strong breeze and soared into the sky.
The farmer watched the eagle with a tear in his eye as the bird cried out what seemed to be a farewell. A verse from the Bible came to the lonely figure of a Kansas farmer as he watched the eagle soar:
“… those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles …”
We are like that baby eagle. We have spent too much time in the chicken coop and have forgotten the power within us. It is time for us to wake up the sleeping giant in us and soar on wings like eagles.