During spring break this year I went with my grandsons to
Orlando,
and
we spent a few days totally enjoying the delights
of
the Universal Theme Parks and Harry Potter World.
One of the things I particularly noticed was the various
roller coasters
and
how they were rather different from the roller coasters of my youth.
Instead of the slow ascent to the highest point
and
the acceleration of that first steep descent
followed
by a series of ups and downs,
today this amusement ride is much more creative and
exhilarating.
For instance, the Incredible Hulk roller coaster ride
started
slowly up the steep ascent,
but
then suddenly speeded up towards the top
and
then, instead of the dip down, it made a sharp turn to the left
and
went into a corkscrew completely catching you off guard.
For me life is like the roller coaster ride:
the
butterflies in the stomach in nervous anticipation,
the
unexpected surprises,
the
rising to great heights and sudden drops to the depths,
the
feeling of being out of control and hanging on for dear life,
the
adrenaline rush that heightens awareness,
the
relief when the ride comes to an end.
This is a metaphor for life that I can relate too,
especially regarding control.
Forrest
Gump says life is like a box of chocolates,
and
you may have another metaphor that works for you,
but usually whatever the metaphor, life is full of the
unexpected.
“…we walk by faith, not by sight…”
That great Apostle and missionary Paul wrote this
to
the faith community in the Greek city of Corinth 2 millennia ago,
in
a time of turbulence and uncertainty.
He was writing to people who knew the truth of these
words,
who
experienced what it was like to enter the unknown
and
place their faith in this new Savior,
who
discovered the presence of this Savior
in
the Holy Spirit as an intimate encounter with the Divine
in
their innermost beings
and
in the midst of their fellowship with one another.
“…we walk by faith, not by sight…”
Today we are all taking part in witnessing
and
joining our prayers and support
for Victoria and John in the blessing of their marriage.
Love is most important in marriage, but faith is also needed.
Who
knows what will come?
It
will be a roller coaster ride, no doubt.
Love will be important.
But faith in God and God’s presence with you in all the
surprises life will bring
will
see you through
so that the ride will be exhilarating rather than
terrifying.
“…we walk by faith, not by sight…”
Dorian and her family have perhaps had more than the usual
share
of
ups and downs in their roller coaster ride.
Hunt related to me something Dorian said.
He was visiting with Dorian and her son Mike
the
morning of an important doctor's appointment.
She said, “Mike, you know my faith is very
important to me.
I
don't wear it on my sleeve,
but
I want you to know that it's very important to me.”
“…we walk by
faith, not by sight…”
This statement, “…we walk by faith, not by sight…”, is
truth for us
when
we experience that Holy Presence in our loves,
moving
us in that innermost part of our being
that
is so hard for us to put into words,
but
which we know to be as real as anything.
“…we walk by faith, not by sight…”
This faith is putting our trust into that Holy Presence in
the innermost being
which
has no tangible dimension to measure empirically.
This faith is a surrendering of the illusion we hold onto
about
being in control of our lives.
This faith is a letting go, like raising your hands on the
roller coaster
as
you go over the top.
“…we walk by faith, not by sight…”
The Apostle Paul continued writing:
For the love of Christ urges us on,
because we are convinced that one has died for all;
therefore all have died.
And he died for all,
so that those who live might live no longer for themselves,
but for him who died and was raised for them.
Paul was always making this connection with the death of
Jesus,
of
our incorporation into this in a spiritual union.
For this is the way faith is at work in us,
as
a gift of that union with Christ in death and resurrection.
“…we walk by faith, not by sight…”
So if anyone is in Christ,
there is a new creation:
everything old has passed away;
see, everything has become new!
Because the resurrection Presence of Jesus is in us as
Holy Spirit
working
in us as grace, making of us new creations,
bringing
about something new in us,
faith will become much more reliable than sight.
It may look like stage 4 metastatic cancer,
and
the body will soon be consumed by that,
but
there is a new creation of life going on that endures through all that.
Two lives come together in a surprising way
and
a relationship develops and deepens,
and the journey changes in a way which brings new
liveliness and mutuality,
and
who knows what else.
“…we walk by faith, not by sight…”
It is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground,
and would sleep and rise night and day,
and the seed would sprout and grow,
he does not know how.
The earth produces of itself,
first the stalk,
then the head,
then the full grain in the head.
As sure and as certain as this natural, organic process
of
a seed sprouting and growing,
so
faith is planted by Holy Spirit in us where it sprouts and grows,
and
grows and grows
with
the same potential as a mustard seed.
So what is faith?
It is letting yourself be attracted into Jesus
Now the thing about faith is that we really don’t know how
it happens
We
have faith in the midst of what is happening
because
of the relationships we have with those with us.
We
are willing to be related.
And we are not trusting for a specific outcome assured to
go our way,
turning
out according to my expectations.
And so today here we are with Dorian:
Dorian
in your hearts and minds, your memories, in your feelings
in
your relationships is still alive for you.
She is there in you; she is with you and you in her .
But you are no longer in her like you were.
But she is still in you like she was.
And you can remember her and feel her and hear her voice,
you
can see her in the mind’s eye.
You can remember when she dealt shortly with you,
and
you can remember when she did everything she could
to
give you what you wanted.
You can remember that she is still in you.
And you know there is a bigger framework here,
because
we go through death, but what we are does not die.
What do we know about that? What do you know about yourself
as
you face this death?
This death? Is it a “birth?” Is it a divorce from this
life? Is it a tragedy?
Is
it a loss or a gain? What do you
think?
And we are here today with John and Victoria.
At every wedding we pledge our support of the couple,
and
most of us know enough about the bride and groom
to
have some questions or considerations
and
wonder what their chances are for the long run
-- and oh, I have had a number of weddings where I had my
doubts --
But at the very same time we are happy and celebrating
with the couple
on
their special occasion.
Wherever we are or whatever we think about them or who
they are
we
support the couple. --
This is an act of faith.
So this marriage of John and Victoria.
I want to ask you two, John, Victoria, to stand up,
and
turn around so people can see you.
Look at them.
They found one another.
You know where they discovered each other? At a funeral!
This is a miracle that we must support.
You
two found one another.
What follows next in the liturgy today
is
the opportunity for all of us to bless John and Victoria.
And we follow that with the Eucharist, the Great
Thanksgiving,
which
has also been likened to the Marriage Feast of the Lamb.
And we will join our voices with angels and archangels
and
all the company of heaven,
and
Dorian is here with us,
as
well as so many others we have known and loved.
Life can be exhilarating or terrifying;
life can be threatening or enticing,
and
the events of life can take us to the heights and to the depths.
We can have faith that when life is being like a roller
coaster ride,
taking
us where we may not want to go,
the Resurrection Presence of Jesus is carrying us through.
And for me when I get to the end of the ride, I want to say,
“Thank you! What a great ride!”
