Two stories back to back in the lectionary, last week and this week, that speak into one another in times of change which is where we are at in Abbotsford.
A: It is safe in the boat: a place of security while the waves swell and the wind blows. It is a good place to be.
B: It is safe in our own land, security in the culture and friends we are familiar with and we are cushioned by sharing the same thoughts about those beyond the border. It is a good place to be.
A: But taking that step…
B: Taking that journey…
A: Stepping out of the boat…
B: Stepping across a border…
A: And suddenly everything changes.
B: And the familiarity is gone.
A: And the security disappears.
B: And the encounters challenge you.
A: And it’s then you have to trust what you want to be true, to be able to walk on water and keep your sight on Jesus.
B: And realise a new place offers a new challenges to old ideas.
A: I walked on water, the impossible water, for a moment. I saw what I was heading for and trust was more powerful than anything else for that moment. Gravity, common sense, physics all fell away when trust took over, a longing for what was possible. And I walked.
B: I had my daughter healed simply by the trust I had in what Jesus was able to do, even if he didn’t see it that way at first. He called me a dog. He told me, like any Jew would do, that I wasn’t like them. I was a foreigner, yet he was in my town and I told him that even the dogs are allowed crumbs from the table. And it was like an epiphany. A light went on and it dawned on him that what he was talking about: the love and grace and inclusivity of God, was not just for Jews, but for all. And my daughter was healed.
A: I stepped out the boat and I am not scared to get my feet wet any more.
B: I stepped out from the prejudice and challenged what Jesus thought about people who were not like him and I am not scared to think differently anymore.
A: I tasted adventure.
B: I tasted bread.
A: The boat remains safe but the adventure calls me to the waters edge.
B: My own land remains safe but the kingdom grows in the meeting place of differences.
A: The adventure calls.
B: And the crumbs taste good.
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