Pastor's Message

MAY SPIRIT STEPS

My depth gauge read 90 feet.  I was 90 feet beneath the surface of the water and the temperature of the crystal clear Caribbean was 80 degrees Fahrenheit.  When I looked up, I could see the ripples of the waves on the surface and all around me giant pillars of coral rose off a 100 foot ledge.  My dive computer was beeping, signaling that I had only 3 minutes that I could stay at this depth without beginning a decompression dive.  I didn’t want to follow the decompression protocol so I began to slowly ascend to 80 feet.

As I gently rose past the brightly colored coral my thoughts drifted back to the time I was learning to dive.  I recalled coming into the clinic where I worked and sharing that I dove to 20 feet.  I remembered the staff having many questions and comments about how exciting and scary it must be to be 20 feet under the water.  Now I was at 90 feet and really didn’t think anything about it other than that it would shorten the time of my dive if I remained at that depth any longer.  I wanted to stay as long as possible to enjoy the peace and beauty of this place.  My thoughts then drifted back to the first ocean dive that I made.  I recalled being close to a coral reef for the first time and thinking how chaotic it appeared.  The hard and soft coral appeared haphazardly piled together with various sponges without symmetry or order.  Now I appreciate the intricate beauty of it all.

It strikes me that this may be a perfect metaphor for life.  On the surface life appears chaotic, haphazard, without rhyme or reason.  It seems that new life is built on the skeletons of the past so that life is nothing more than a collection of individuals each trying to sustain themselves and survive; people of all different colors, all different shapes, all different hopes and dream scattered in the sea of humanity.  Yet, into this seeming disorder, Someone has come to declare meaning, and purpose.  Easter is the time when the Christian community celebrates the New Life that has broken into this world.  Life is no longer a something that is lived out in the physical shell of our body and then added to the pile when the body is worn out.

Jesus, God incarnate, entered into the chaos not to eliminate the chaos but to provide it with dimension and meaning.  We can learn to appreciate the beauty of what seems like disorder, recognizing that everyone has a place.  Whatever the shape, or size, or color, all fit together to form an organic whole and it is in our contribution to that wholeness that our true purpose lies.  Life is not defined by the time spent in the physical shell.  Life transcends the shell and has been reunited with the source of all life.

Life’s true beauty can be more fully appreciated as we allow ourselves to dive in and enjoy its diversity without judgment until we can be at depth without fear.  

May this Easter Season bring you the peace and joy that the news of Christ’s resurrection brings to all who believe.

Pastor Bob