Trusting the Wind

Jesus uses the metaphor of a vine and branches to describe the life of faith. The important concept is “abiding.” The life of faith is a life “abiding” in Christ. What does it mean to “abide” – to find your energy for life in something, to dwell on something as the primary reason for being, to so incorporate something into who you are that there is no “you” without it. And, I began thinking about how we “abide.” We abide as parents. And that can go too far…parents today are sometimes called helicopter parents, hovering right over their children’s shoulders, or lawnmower parents, mowing down every challenge for their children. We abide as fans. And that can go too far…no need for any hog calling or cow bells in here. We abide as employees…and that can go too far. In America the average work week has grown to 47 hours per week and the average productivity per American worker has increased 400% since 1950. We know how to abide.

While I was researching sailing this week, I came across the website “Wind and Sail.” It is winter project of a Canadian man who abides in sailing. In August 2009, Ian Hoar began a new passion. He had thought about taking up sailing for years, and his last two homes were right in front of a marina. But, as he walked by the marina that August day, something was different. He decided he had thought about it and talked about it and lived near it long enough. It was time for action. So, he signed up for his first class.

For the next several months, until winter came, Ian sailed, and then as soon as spring came, he sailed some more. What he found was that one of the biggest fears for many new sailors is the feeling of the boat leaning in the wind, called heeling. He reflects, “Your first instinct might be to think the boat is actually going to capsize…. Learning to trust the boat is the first step towards really enjoying your sailing experience. Everyone will probably have a different adjustment period, but rest assured you will get used heeling, and even enjoy it, maybe even crave it.”

When you sail, you have to learn to trust the wind. Trust the wind to be present to move your boat. Trust the wind to fill your sails. And trust the wind as you heel, as it brings you to the edge, past your comfort zone, that it will not capsize your boat. When you sail, you abide in the wind.

Ian Hoar wasn’t a sailor when he lived in front of the marina and walked by every day. He wasn’t a sailor all the days he watched the water. He wasn’t a sailor as he thought about taking up sailing. It was when he decided it was time for action that he became a sailor. It was when he immersed himself in sailing, let it captivate his heart and life, when he was so consumed by it that when he wasn’t on the water he created a website to share his experience with others that he began to abide as a sailor. Ian became a sailor when he knew that joy of abiding in the wind.

Jesus invites us, “Abide in me, and I in you.” Abide. Like a branch abides with the vine…the branch isn’t just near the vine – it is a part of the vine – it isn’t just living in front of the marina and walking by or coming by the church and sitting in the pew. Abiding isn’t watching others. Abiding is taking action. It is immersing ourselves to the point of being consumed. The life of faith is a life abiding in the wind of God’s Spirit.

The first step is desire. I don’t know what Ian’s reasons were for not going sailing before – work, family, obligations, fear, maybe he knew he would be consumed with it, maybe he wasn’t sure how to join a group – whatever it was, his desire to sail had to outweigh his reasons for not going sailing. As long as he didn’t get in the boat, he was not really a sailor. We are the same way as Christians. We have a lot of things that hold us back from abiding in the wind of God’s Spirit. We don’t join the committee because we don’t know who to ask, or how to ask, or what is going to be asked of us. We don’t volunteer because of time or other commitments or maybe we are afraid we will be consumed with it. We don’t fill out a pledge card because we are afraid that we won’t be able to keep our pledge or we don’t want to really think about our commitment, or we think we will do it later when other things are paid off or the kids are grown. And we don’t realize that the opportunity to sail is here now. All we need is desire and to make the decision to do it.

One day, Ian decided; he went in the marina and signed up for a class. He didn’t get on a sailboat alone. He found others to take him out into the water. The first step in learning to sail the life of faith is desire, desire for connection, desire for relationship. And then, you have to get in the boat. And you can’t sail the boat alone. You need a crew, a community, to work together, to work the sails and catch the wind of God’s Spirit. Who will be in the boat with you? Look around. Perhaps you will want to form a small group this Lent with some of these people to study what it means to follow Jesus.

And then you have to learn to trust the wind. Jesus promises, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.” Lean into the wind, and you will not capsize. At first, it will feel scary, but then you will get used to it, and even enjoy it, maybe even crave it.

Jesus has been misquoted as saying, “Whatever you want, you will get.” The key is the abiding. If your life is rooted in me, says Jesus, and my words are so embedded in you that they are your words, your Will will be my Will, and as you have needs that arise to accomplish that Will, they will be satisfied.

That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t require work, that it doesn’t require perseverance, that it isn’t challenging. Sometimes, the wind of the Holy Spirit is so strong that it may heel your boat and you may feel a bit afraid.

Thursday before last, I talked with a friend who is working toward building a shelter for homeless women and children in Memphis. That same day, I went to a luncheon to discuss opening a drop-in center for women who walk the streets near Summer Avenue. Both projects feel to me like the boat is leaning in the wind. I have more questions than I have answers. I have safety concerns for the women and those who will volunteer. I have questions about how these programs lead to transformation in these women’s lives. There is fundraising to be done, and planning, and permits and policies to be made and procedures to be set. Yet, the prospect of caring for the least of these is exhilarating. Maybe God will call you to sail with us.

Or maybe you will be called to be part of a different mission. Perhaps you have watched on the shore as groups have gone to Mexico to build cisterns and this summer it is time for you to set sail. It can feel scary to volunteer your time. What will be asked of me? Will I be able to do what is asked? Talk to someone who has gone before. Ask Michael Wann or Bonnie Blair or Roland Mittag…if you’ve gone on the Mexico Cistern Ministry trip, will you raise your hand?

Perhaps you are passionate about children and want to be involved in the Trike-a Thon we hold at the Day School every year. Or maybe you want to help raise funds for our Rise Against Hunger to package meals for those effected by disaster and children in developing countries. Whatever your passion, there is an opportunity for you to set your sail in the wind at Farmington.

Do you want to abide in Jesus and for Jesus to abide in you? This community is in the boat with you. The life of faith is like being on a sailboat learning to catch the wind. It is scary, and exhilarating, and then you can’t get enough of it. Together, let’s set sail. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.