1 Epiphany 07 A

As a priest, I have conducted many baptisms. And, of course, we baptize in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, or as He used to be called the Holy Ghost. A fellow minister found his four-year-old daughter with their three other children behind the barn quietly playing church.

The four-year old was conducting a baptismal service like she had seen her dad do it. She was holding a cat over a barrel of water, trying to be as solemn as her father; she repeated the phrase she had heard many times. “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and IN THE HOLE YOU GO!”

For some baptism was a traumatic experience. For others it is an experience you don’t remember, for others it was a life-changing experience. But one thing is for sure – when we are baptized and begin to live out our Christianity, we will go through some turbulent and traumatic times.

The waters of Jesus’ baptism were pretty smooth and things were going pretty well for him. The voice from heaven had just said, “This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased.” But it wasn’t too long after that when Jesus hit some rough water. No longer was there the smooth water of his baptismal experience, he now was facing the rough water of temptation in the wilderness, persecution, rejection, the unbelief of others and strife within the ranks of the disciples.

I remember the time I went white water rafting near Bend, OR. For me, it was both frightening and exhilarating.

As I reflected upon that experience I saw some parallels between white water rafting and our Christian life within the church.

The first principle in white water rafting is:

1. WHITEWATER IS WHAT YOU CAME FOR, ENJOY IT!

The Christian life is not supposed to be a life without struggle. In fact, Jesus said, “In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” My tendency is to look at the trials and troubles that face me as being something automatically bad. In the book of James we read these words, “Count it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

When we realize that the trials we face are either caused by our own sin or by something which is allowed by God, then we can react better when trials hit us. If they come as a result of our own sin, then we can take our lumps and learn from the experience. If it is something beyond our control then we can rejoice knowing that God has allowed this to happen to develop some aspect of the fruit of His Holy Spirit within us.

Back to our analogy: if life is what we are created to live, then we can view our lives as like a whitewater experience. That is what we came for. Let us learn to enjoy life.

2. The second lesson I learned from whitewater rafting is this: IF YOU COME TO A CALM PLACE, REST. THERE WILL BE WHITE WATER LATER.

There will be times in our lives or in the life of the church when life will be peaceful and calm. These are the times to enjoy life and relax. This is your opportunity to get refreshed for the whitewater ahead. It is important to remember that the peaceful, calm waters are not normal in the Christian life so don’t expect them to always be there.

3. The third lesson I learned from whitewater rafting is this: NEVER STOP PADDLING, EVEN WHEN IT SEEMS HOPELESS.

One of the things the pros told us in the raft was to keep paddling until we were told to stop. It is easy to think that our paddling was doing no good, and we were destined to be sucked down the black hole or crash into the upcoming rocks.

In the Christian life it is easy to get discouraged or to allow our problems and trials to convince us that we might as well give up trying to follow Christ or live as a Christian. The Lord says never stop paddling. The Lord says, “Never stop paddling when the going gets tough. Keep your eyes on me and you will never lose hope.”

4. The fourth lesson I learned from whitewater rafting is this: IF YOU GET INTO TROUBLE, DON’T PANIC AND REMEMBER THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU.

One of the things you realize when you are in a raft is that each person is important and that you must work as a team in order to make it through the whitewater.

We, as Christians, sometimes feel that when we are having problems in our lives we should just isolate ourselves from our fellow believers. We become lone ranger Christians. When we isolate ourselves we don’t allow our church family to help us through the whitewater times in our lives.

Sometimes we forget that we are the body of Christ. It is most helpful if we are paddling in the same direction. Each person has a different role to fulfill, but we are called to move in the direction of the light and love of Jesus.

When you get in trouble as an individual or when we get into trouble as a church do we remember the people around us and how our words, actions and decisions affect them? I remember talking to someone about a problem I was having with a parishioner. I made some judgments about that person. It turned out that the person with whom I shared my thoughts was not very discreet and felt it her obligation to go to the person I criticized and tell them. Needless to say that caused problems. If I would have remembered that we are all in this together, and that what I say and do can have an impact either positively or negatively on my fellow believers in Christ, then I might have spared myself a lot of grief.

5. The fifth lesson I learned from whitewater rafting is this: IF YOU DO GO UNDER, LET GO OF EVERYTHING.

If the raft turns over and you go under the water and you try to hold on to the ropes you could be drowned. If you let go of the ropes you will find that you will come back to the surface.

Perhaps in life when the trials of life pull us under perhaps we need to let go of some of the things that are holding us under. I met a woman a number of years ago who was very unhappy. She had some tragedy happen to her and had been treated badly by some f her family members. As a result, she continued to hang on to the hurts of the past and thus her life was miserable. She attempted to make those around her miserable as well; all because she would not let go of that which was holding her under.

Sometimes when you go under in life, you have to let go of something. Sometimes you may find yourself over extended, you’re too busy. You’re holding onto to many ropes. Maybe you need to let go of one of your ropes. Maybe you need to take a break from a church ministry or task before you end up becoming embittered at the church or not doing an effective job.

The important thing is to get your life right again. Right with Jesus. Right with yourself. Right with your family. Right with others. If you go under, let go of everything that will keep you under the water.

6. DON’T BE SURPRISED IF THE BOAT DOESN’T GO WHERE YOU WANT.

When you are whitewater rafting sometimes you can paddle all you want but the current takes you in a different direction. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow. In our lives we may not always get what we want. The direction in our lives may be different than the one we had planned.

Often people are afraid to fully commit themselves to Christ or to being baptized in the Holy Spirit because they are afraid of the direction their lives might go. We like to have our lives nicely charted out and don’t like surprises. So when things don’t work out like we plan we feel uncomfortable, insecure and out of control.

Sometimes the church does not go in the direction you think it should. That is all part of the ride. If the boat of your life or if your church boat doesn’t go where you want, rather than abandon ship realize that the boat doesn’t always go where you want. Pray for your boat, talk to your guide, read the owner’s manual and realize that at least you will be with your friends in the boat wherever it goes.

7. EVERYONE PADDLES FURIOUSLY TO GET SOMEWHERE, BUT REALLY THE CURRENT TAKES YOU DOWNSTREAM.

When we were first starting out, the guide of our boat had us try to paddle against the current. We struggled and paddled and ended up getting no where. He did this to show us that the river really was in control.

You and I can try to paddle against the will of God or against the plan of God, either in our personal or church lives. When we do that we get no where and we get worn out and exhausted.

When we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness then we find the paddling much easier. Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you….for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” What did he mean by that? He means if we realize that Jesus is in control of our life and that if we work with him, yoked with him, then he takes the burden of life. He carries the load, takes the worry from us, and we trust in him to carry us through life.

8. SOMEONE NEEDS TO CALL OUT THE ORDERS CLEARLY, IT WORKS BETTER THAT WAY.

When we were in the raft, we had to get directions from the guide, especially since this was the first experience for all of us. He had to tell us when to paddle, which side of the raft to steer, warn us of danger ahead, and give us instructions on how to maneuver around the trouble spots.

One of my jobs is to point you to those things that can guide you around the troubles that can lie ahead of us. The Bible can be a sure guide for us. As we read Scripture God can speak to us and guide us. As we hear from Jesus in prayer, we find our lives moving more smoothly.

Many have found that having a spiritual director or a mature Christian friend with whom one can get some spiritual guidance to be a real benefit in their spiritual growth.

For the church, there must be someone in the forefront to call out the orders, to set forth the vision of the Church. My job is to be pointing us to Jesus who is our guide. I am also to lead this church in the direction I believe Christ wants us to go. I may not always give the right orders or lead us around all the trouble, but I believe that with God’s help I will lead us in the direction we need to go.

When we first got into our rafts, I didn’t particularly like our guide. He seemed too full of himself. I liked the guide in the other boat that went with us. But as we got going and as we worked together, I began to see that he was able to get us to the end of the whitewater safely. I even grew to like and respect him by the end of the trip.

My job is to lead this ship we call St. Anne’s. I will tell you that I will seek to do my best to get us safely past the whitewater to that clear, smooth water of God’s blessing. We will encounter more whitewater, but hey, that’s why we came, to experience life at its fullness with Jesus. Let’s rest when we need to rest, paddle when it seems hopeless and not panic when we get into trouble, but remember the people around us. If we go under let go of everything except Jesus. Even if the boat does not always go where we want, let us remember that God is carrying us along and guiding us to that safe harbor of his presence.