At the Water’s Edge

I recently posted this picture and some reflection on it on my social media account. It gained some traction, and I wanted to offer some more thoughts on it. Here is the social media post.

“Nearly every Sunday since COVID, I have written a Sunday morning email sharing plans for worship that morning, thoughts on whatever was on my heart, and simply greetings to my congregations on another resurrrection day. Today, I am writing it here. We are in transition to our new appointment, and heading back to Baraboo First United Methodist Church for our last worship service this morning.

After worship today, we will have a potluck and dessert with a slideshow of photos of the last 3 years. This photo is digitally dated for April 2024. While I don’t recall this exact experience, this is me. This is me alright.

Each week, my newsletter article has been called, “At the Water’s Edge.” Water is a part of my life – my faith – my calling. I grew up near the water’s edge in Michigan. It is there where I found what I needed in my life – hope, strength, play, creativity. It is there where fears were faced, memories made, and “fish stories” told.

Every church I served has been another “water’s edge.” The waters of our baptisms remind us to stay connected to not only our creator but also one another. The living water that we know in Jesus Christ that quenches every thirst, and meets every need truly gives the life that we need. It is here at the water’s edge of the sanctuary that we have all found what we need – hope, strength, play, and creativity. At the church, opportunities are given to develop leadership, make memories, and face fearful things like vulnerability. A few “fish stories” have been told too. We are human after all.

As I say adios to another congregation today, I am thrilled to begin splashing in the water with St. Paul’s UMC. Taking that first step into the cold water is never easy – but it is always so worth it! This morning, we are singing one of my favorite hymns – Lord, You Have Come to the Lakeshore at Baraboo.

Lord, you have come to the lakeshore

looking neither for wealthy nor wise ones.

You only asked me to follow humbly.

Refrain

O Lord, with your eyes you have searched me,

kindly smiling, have spoken my name.

Now my boat’s left on the shoreline behind me;

by your side I will seek other seas.

You know so well my possessions;

my boat carries no gold and no weapons;

But nets and fishes my daily labor.

Refrain

O Lord, with your eyes you have …

You need my hands, full of caring,

through my labors to give others rest,

and constant love that keeps on loving.

Refrain

O Lord, with your eyes you have …”

My favorite stories in the Bible always involve water. In Genesis, we read the creation stories where the water gives life, but also brings destruction with Noah. The visual imagery in the parting of the Red Sea in Exodus brings to life that power and wonder of our creator. We find the uncertainity of the water when we find the story of Jonah. Getting into the Gospels, Jesus and his baptism invites the Holy Spirit to stir the waters to life for him and for us. Jesus walking on the water provides the miracle and a reminder that we are not God. Water is a sign of joyfulness when it is turned into wine.

Growing up in Northern Michigan, on Lake Michigan, each of the emotions associated with these stories comes to mind. I’ve watched the storms rage and heard stories of destruction with barges in the water. The power and wonder of our creator fills many tourists as they gather each night to watch the sun set. The water’s edge stirs something up in us, be it curiousity, fear, or simply the urge to dip a toe in no matter the season.

As I begin year 21 of ministry (19 under appointment) in a new appointment, I am thrilled to reflect on each of my congregations as being at the water’s edge. Each one as been a different shoreline, marked by different values and lessons learned. Some were man-made. Some were spirit-inspiried. Some brought to life by hard work and others by chance. All the while, God’s spirit moved and drew people in to God’s saving grace in Jesus Christ.

Tonight, my heart is on John 5 and John 9. In both of these chapters, Jesus does some miracles. First in John 5 – the healing of the disabled man simply by his faith alone while he waited for the waters to stir is a challenge to have a deep faith. We can wait and wait and wait some more, but there will come a time when we have to take some action. Archaeology teaches there was some science at work behind the stirring of the waters, while others believed that it was God at work. Jesus teaches here that he is that source of life – ever present, abundant grace. Waters in motion often represent a divine action.

Second in John 9 after Jesus heals the man born blind, he tells him to go wash. The original use of this word, νίψαι, speaks of humility. It is a similar word across the Gospels, inviting God’s people into a humble relationship with our creator. Water will humble you. From peeing your pants as a kid to being out on the boat when the storms arise, water will humble you. It will remind you who is in control, and who to trust along the way.

What does the water’s edge of your faith look like? I’m still learning what my shoreline here in Stevens Point looks like.