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Statue of Jesus by Kent UllbergOctober 1995
Commissioned by FUMC
This statue of Jesus in the boat is in front of First United Methodist Church of Corpus Christi, TX. I was an active member beginning in 1994 and for the following ten years, until I rejoined the Episcopal Church.
Today I remembered a story about Jesus and the boat from the time it was ordered and installed in front of the church.
My good friend JT, who has since moved to Fort Worth, griped on our weekly Sunday walks on the bay front (and thus in front of the church) that too much money was being spent on this work of art and should instead be spent on the homeless and less fortunate.
Eventually, JT came to a realization that continues to get me to smile and also to realize that judging is not exactly Christ-like. She finally came to acceptance of the statue when she visualized all the people in the boat with Jesus. The immediately repulsive person she thought of in 1995 was Geraldo Rivera!
As I think of this today: "Who's in the Boat with Jesus?", I realize that Sarah Palin is there; George Bush is there; even Osama Ben Laden is there. Jesus would not exclude anyone from the boat.
What gives me the right to exclude people? Back to:
Bless ___________, change me!
It so goes along with this story of the Desert Fathers that I read today in the book the Wisdom Class is reading and discussing each Tuesday: Where God Happens by Rowan Williams. You may be familiar with this one; it's one I've always loved and needed to be reminded of!
"There was a brother at Scetis who had committed a fault. So they called a meeting and invited Abba Moses. He refused to go. The priest sent someone to say to him, 'They're all waiting for you.' So Moses got up and set off; he took a leaky jug and filled it with water and took it with him. The others came out to meet him and said, 'What is this, father?' The old man said to them, 'My sins run out behind me and I cannot see them, yet here I am coming to sit in judgment on the mistakes of somebody else.' When they heard this, they called off the meeting." (p. 20)
(originally from: Ward, Benedicta, trans. The Sayings of the Desert Fathers. Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian, 1984. 138-139.)
Perhaps I can stop judging if I remember to ask myself, "Who's in the boat?" and remember to pray, "Bless __________, change me."
(Still, I can vote for whomever I wish.)
And it is important to remember that just because I (or anyone else) is ON the boat, I (or they) have not "arrived"--it's a journey of learning to become the person envisioned by God, a journey and not a destination.
"There was a brother at Scetis who had committed a fault. So they called a meeting and invited Abba Moses. He refused to go. The priest sent someone to say to him, 'They're all waiting for you.' So Moses got up and set off; he took a leaky jug and filled it with water and took it with him. The others came out to meet him and said, 'What is this, father?' The old man said to them, 'My sins run out behind me and I cannot see them, yet here I am coming to sit in judgment on the mistakes of somebody else.' When they heard this, they called off the meeting." (p. 20)
(originally from: Ward, Benedicta, trans. The Sayings of the Desert Fathers. Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian, 1984. 138-139.)
Perhaps I can stop judging if I remember to ask myself, "Who's in the boat?" and remember to pray, "Bless __________, change me."
(Still, I can vote for whomever I wish.)
And it is important to remember that just because I (or anyone else) is ON the boat, I (or they) have not "arrived"--it's a journey of learning to become the person envisioned by God, a journey and not a destination.
11 comments:
This reminds me of the benediction given by Rev. Joey Lee at my church a few weeks ago (he attributed it to some one else, but I can't remember who):
Get in the boat. Go to the other side. There will be a storm. You will not perish.
I love your spirit. And I'm going to try to remember that prayer.
Bless ____. Change me.
This is such a beautiful post.
This is such an important post.
While I have heard this before, this is exactly the type of thing I tend to forget... and is exactly what I need to remember.
Bless.....
Change me.
Amen.
Thank you Jan!
I love that story....I used in one of my sermons recently....really stuck with people....
yes, always a journey...
I like this a lot, and it's interesting to me...my one son was over last week, and we were talking about religion and our lack thereof...and yet we strive to be good, decent people, and Chris said he'd told his girlfriend's parents (terrific people, and devout Catholics) that he believed that if there is a heaven, someone like Ted Bundy might be there, and if that were so we'd have to accept it. His girlfriends parents were quite upset at the idea, and I understand that, but I also understand what Chris was saying...very similar to Jesus in the boat, so thank you, Jan!
Wonderful, Jan! Thank you so much - this is a word in time, indeed!
Blessings on you!
Mike
Wonderful post Jan and the Desert Fathers and Ammas are so wise.
I am so guilty of this. It is so easy to sit on the sidelines and comment on others. I plead guilty. But then, I'm not trying to lie my way into a position of power either. I'm not sure where the line is anymore. I shall spend some time in prayer and hope to understand better. Thanks for this.
Thank you for this message! It's one we all can use reminding of, thanks to our pesky human hearts.
I like that little prayer and I, too, will be doing my best to remember it.
Bless ________, change me!
a sobering reminder - thanks
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