What Are You Waiting For?

Posted on Jan 26, 2014 by

It was an absolutely gorgeous day. It was sunny with just a few clouds in the sky and the temperature was about 80°. There were about 35 of us on a very large catamaran just off the coast of the island of Roatan in the Caribbean Sea. We had arrived at the area we would go snorkeling and I was excited. The water was the most incredible blue I had ever seen and it was crystal clear. As we were getting ready to get in, the captain announced that he wanted those who were experienced snorkelers and strong swimmers to be in one group and those who were beginners or less comfortable swimming to be in another group. I went with the more experienced group and off we went. We went out into some deeper waters where the current was a little stronger, but we saw some incredible sights. The fish were incredible and the coral and other sea life were breath taking.

Now, Jill, on the other hand, was not as comfortable and she wanted to stay behind. In fact, she had decided she was going to stay on the boat and enjoy the sun and warmth and just watch the rest of us. But that did not happen. You see, one of the dive leaders would not hear of it. His name was Rupert and Rupert wanted everyone on the boat to see and experience what he already knew. So, he told Jill that he would be her dive buddy and he insisted she go with him. So, she got in the water and Rupert had here hang onto a safety line that he used to help her get around n the shallower waters where the current was not as strong. Once away from the boat, Rupert proceeded to point out some beautiful sights and when sights were a little too far for her to see, Rupert would dive down and bring the sights up to her. He made sure she stayed in calmer, shallower waters, but he made sure she had a good time. When our dive time was over and we all met back on the boat, Jill was more excited than I was about her experience. She told me all about the sights and that she even got to see a lionfish.

You see, it had been a long time since Jill and I have been diving, scuba or snorkeling, and she felt she was not equipped to get in the water again. Now, I agree, neither of us are qualified any longer to scuba dive, but Rupert helped her understand that she had the skills and ability she needed to go snorkeling in the shallower waters. Rupert didn’t just dump her in the water, he swam with her and he gave her a safety line to hold on to.

As I reflected on that experience from our trip, I realized that the feelings Jill had that day as we prepared to jump in the water were much like the feelings many of us have when it comes to following and witnessing to Jesus. Being a disciple of Jesus sounds easy until we actually have to do it. When we made our plans to go on the catamaran and snorkeling trip several weeks before we left, Jill and I were both excited, but when we actually got out on the water, even with all its beauty, we realized that this was going to be harder than it looked in the pictures and we all have our excuses when times get difficult, don’t we?

I remember when I was first asked to get involved with teen and children ministries. I told our youth director I would help but don’t ever expect me to talk about the bible, because I knew nothing about the bible. Then one day, Jill received a phone call that the lady who was her co-teacher would no longer be able to help her with her class because her 10-year old son had been diagnosed with a brain tumor and she would be too busy dealing with his medical issues the rest of the school year and so, the next thing I knew, I was “volunteered” to help Jill teach Sunday school. Were they nuts, I thought. I was the Catholic boy turned Lutheran who had never opened a bible. How was I going to teach those kids anything? But, Jill helped me, and others in the community helped me, and before I knew it, I was having the time of my life teaching those 10 year-olds as I learned right along with them.

In our Gospel text today, Jesus had just begun his ministry of proclaiming the good news that salvation was for everyone and that God’s kingdom was near. But, he also knew that if he was going to be able to get that message to the whole world, he was going to need help. So, he went and found some people he knew had what it took. He found people who would be able to withstand the waters when they got a little rough. He found people who would be able to stand up to the leaders of their day. He found people who could relate to the poor and those who society looked down upon. He didn’t go looking for kings and well-educated men. No, he went and found fishermen and challenged them to fish for people. He found a tax collector and challenged him to collect people instead of money. He sought out people who were zealous for a better way of life. He found women who knew how to care for the sick and those in need and he challenged them to do so to all people. When these people wanted to turn and walk away he threw them a line and said hang on, I will pull you through rough waters and I will show you the beauty of my Father’s kingdom. In fact, as he was preparing to leave them and return to his father, as we read in the Gospel of John, he promised them that he would never leave them alone and that his father would send his Spirit to be with them always.

Jesus is still calling people to follow him. He is still calling his followers to fish for people and today we have been challenged to be those who follow him and fish for people. Oh, I can hear it now, but Pastor, I can’t to that. I can’t invite people to come hear about Jesus. I can’t tell others what I know about Jesus. I can’t… I’ve used all the excuses myself, but what I learned when I began to be active in my faith and I began to actually talk about Jesus and how he is in my life, was that it is not as hard as it looks and sharing my story and my experience with Jesus often brings joy and comfort to others.

You don’t have to be a bible scholar to follow Jesus and to share the gospel. You only have to want to do it. You see, when we say, oh I can’t be an apostle who goes around telling my story and sharing my faith, just like Rupert did for Jill last week, Jesus says to us, yes you can. He wants us to jump in the water and go swimming. He wants us to see the beautiful sights and he wants us to get so excited about what we experience that we just have to tell everyone about it. Jesus knows the waters will get rough at times, but he wants us to know that we need not fear them, because he is our lifeline and he will be with us.

Later today, in our annual meeting, you will hear about the challenges that we have before us and you will hear me say that I am more convinced than ever that God is challenging us these days to go out grow his church right here at Salem and to do that, we are going to have to be willing to tell our stories and to invite people to join us. We are going to have to be willing to change and to do things differently and even though we might be convinced that we are not ready or capable, we are, because we are baptized children of the Risen Lord.

Brothers and sisters, what are you waiting for? Go ahead, jump in the water. Be a witness and invite others to come and see this Jesus who wants to offer salvation to everyone. Amen