The Wilderness Way #23

By Bishop Mike Lowry ©

About 15 years ago I found myself serving a wonderful church that had outgrown its location. Asbury United Methodist Church in Corpus Christi, Texas struggled to purchase additional property at its original location to no avail. Finally, an offer came in to buy a new 10 acre site with an option on an additional 10 acres. The mission of making disciples of Christ called for such a bold risk-taking move. But, as a fairly young church, there were many charter members who had sacrificed for building in the original location and celebrated baptisms, birthdays, confirmations, weddings and funerals at the cherished starting site. The decision confronting us was painful.

The oldest (and first!) adult Sunday School class (named appropriately Seekers) gathered to discuss the issue. Robbie Ondak, a charter member whose children had been baptized and confirmed at the original location spoke up. “This new land is an answer to prayer,” she said. The Seekers led the way in championing a move to a new location in order to fulfill our God- appointed mission. Robbie’s husband, Jerry, made the motion to do so at the Charge Conference. The courageously faithful members of Asbury voted over 90% to sell the original property and relocation. It took moral, emotional, and spiritual courage.

Beginning with Wilderness Way #19 (with a brief interlude in #22), I have been addressing five key elements to faith-walking in the wilderness: 1) deep covenant commitment; 2) heightened worship and spiritual connectedness to God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit; 3) unflinching perseverance; 4) real courage; and 5) tough trust in divine leading. In this column I want to return to this theme by addressing the subject “real courage.”

In the United Methodist Church today we are often a risk adverse institution. (You could say the same for American society as a whole.) The Spirit (as in Holy) of adventure and openness to divine leadership is lacking much of the time. Most of us know the famous seven last words of the church. “We’ve never do it that way before!”

The Christian witness of faith over the centuries and biblical witness is very different. When Joshua leads the people into the promised land, he frequently speaks of courage. “I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) I Thessalonians (which may have been the first book written in the New Testament) records the stirring words: “we had already suffered and been shamefully maltreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition.” (I Thessalonians 2:2)

Recently reading Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix by Edwin Friedman, I ran across the following anonymous quote: “The safest place for ships is in the harbor, but that is not why ships were built.” One of the earliest Christian images of the church was as a ship. We (the church of Jesus Christ) were called into being to sail through the storms of life. Sail we must to a new land (to shift metaphors) across the wide ocean of uncertainty. Real courage is necessary. Real courage is possible because Christ promises to be with us “even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

Significantly real courage requires imagination as well as risk taking. Real courage invites us to step off the treadmill of trying harder and reframe questions. It challenges us to rediscover the lessons of the past for today. Real courage involves not taking counsel to our fears and anxieties but listening to the Spirit’s leading. Real courage involves tough trust in divine leading. But then, that is the topic of Wilderness Way #24. For now, may we embrace real courage through 1) risk taking, 2) creative imagining, 3) rediscovering our courageous past for inspiration in today’s wilderness, and 4) listening to the Spirit’s leading (involving deep prayer and the vision to see a different tomorrow in faith!).

By: Bishop Mike Lowry On 10/15/2009

Topics: Bishop Columns