Walking on Water with Jesus

I just finished reading "The Shack." I know it is a controversial book in some Christian circles but personally I found it very interesting when I put the petty controversies aside and read it with anticipation of what God wanted to show me. I was gently amused by one incident and it has brightened my day as well as challenged me.

The main character was walking with Jesus and they came to a lake. He assumed they would walk around it, but Jesus said they were going to walk across it. He faced this with anticipation and perhaps some fear. He stepped out on the water and his shoes got wet. He looked over at Jesus and saw that Jesus had removed his shoes and socks (the book is written in modern times!) Jesus kind of said - "you can't walk on water and expect not to get your feet wet." On the way back from their hike, the main character came to the edge of the lake, intending to walk back across on the water. He took a few steps and was dismayed to find that his feet stayed on the bottom and began to wonder if he would be swimming across. Jesus was still on the shore and laughingly said -"how can you expect to walk on the water without me?"

What brightened my day was this beautiful picture of the human side of Jesus in the face of His being God in the miracle of walking on the water. As human, of course one's feet would get wet walking on the water! Sometimes it is so hard to understand how Jesus can know exactly how we feel because even though He was in human form on the earth, He still was God. This was a beautiful image of how the two come together.

What challenged me was the fact that I cannot expect to do anything without God being with me. Even if I do one thing with God and I am impressed with His help, I cannot do the same thing again in my own power thinking that I will have the same outcome. No matter what I am facing - something easy or something a bit risky for my faith, I need to bring God into it if I expect anything successful to come out of it. This is a powerful reminder of how weak I am without God beside me.

This is not an easy challenge for me. I also had been thinking a lot about Peter when he stepped out of the boat to walk to Jesus on the water, even before I read this book. So many times I have tried to walk on the water by myself and have ended up sinking just like Peter, both because of my stubborn independence and for allowing my eyes to wander off Jesus. I feel like the storm is raging all around me, Jesus is beckoning me to come, I want to walk on the water to Him, but I just can't seem to reach His hand. Yet He remains there, willing me to take each step forward, and with time I will reach Him and collapse into His open arms. And I know that my feet will be wet because this is the reality of my humanness!

Serving Communion

The first Sunday of every month, communion is "served at the rail" in my church. This means that the congregation participating goes to the front and kneels at the rail where the pastor and others pass out the communion elements. I have always treasured this time - especially to hear the words - "Christ's body given for you." and "The blood of Christ shed for you." which are directly spoken to me. After partaking each group is dismissed back to their seats with a "Go in peace." Somehow it makes my communion time very personal yet I feel in community with the others around me.

The people serving are usually the pastor, the liturgist and two members from the congregation - many times a couple. This past Sunday I was asked to serve along with a widowed woman who was sitting next to me. It was a great honor for me to follow behind the pastor and to hand a cup of grape juice to each person at the rail, offering them the emblem of Christ's blood being shed for them. Some looked up at me, some said thank you, others just held out their hand with heads bowed. I wish I could have personally addressed each by their name as our pastor does - but I do not know everybody's name. I found it to be a very touching experience and several times I had to swallow hard to keep the rising emotion back.

It hit me every time that Jesus died for each one of these people kneeling at the rail - different cultures, different socioeconomic circumstances, different life positions, different backgrounds. It was powerful to hand out the emblem of His blood - like it represented a drop shed for each one. It was exciting to see each one as they approached and participated - their faith, their eagerness, their appreciation, their experiencing communion with Jesus Himself. I was overwhelmed with the privilege I had to experience this.

Truly communion is a time for exactly what the name represents - coming together to remember what Jesus did for us. But it is not just our assembling together - it is in the presence of Christ Himself, for it is He who invites us there. I am so glad that my church does it every week and once a month at the rail. It renews me for the week with the reminder of Jesus' love for me - at the moment when He died and at the present moment as He meets with me in my remembrance. May it never become routine or taken for granted and may it remain sacred.