Glimpses,
March 8,
2002
Last fall I read the legend of an old wizard
who stood on a cliff in a high wind and
tried to persuade his followers to do the
same. Finally they joined him one by one,
and when they were all lined up, he pushed
them … and they flew!
I loved the “and they flew” end of the story) not the “Pushed them” that preceded it), but after thinking about it decided that a push may sometimes be necessary for flight. I thought of the events of September 11—how everybody rallied together afterwards to help humanity; how people (some in our own parish) have since tried their wings in new ministries.
If what we need now is the courage for sustained flight, we can look to Carole Wageman’s powerful sermon in February. She described a man's conversation with a trapeze “flyer” in the circus, the flyer insisting that he does nothing to save himself in mid-air—the it's his “catcher” who does it all. Carole made the analogy that the sure promise of God’s waiting hands is what enables people to fly the highest in life, and without fear.
In a book some of us have been reading together for Lent Marcus Borg goes beyond these uplifting images of flight . He describes a loving God who is "“not somewhere else”, but within us and around us at all times, possibly The God We Never Knew. With this image of God in mind, we don't need to fly to Him. He is already here. And by means of God’s vision and grace, we can help restore His Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
Alleluia.
Charlotte Gibson
Charlotte Gibson has served as spiritual growth coordinator at Christ Church for several years. She occasionally writes on spirituality.
