“I would have despaired unless I had believed that I
would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:13-14)

I write from the beach while participating in a CREDO brief sabbath virtual experience. Some 30 of us from around the country are engaging directed conversations and reflections – ranging from spiritual, physical, and financial health. It has been a challenge to allow myself this experience which is part 1 of a 2-part journey (second part is October 2021 in North Carolina). Over my 26 years of ministry, I have always put it off – too busy, my son was too young, my mom was dying. Well – this time with gratitude in my heart for the Board of Pension’s diligence and generosity, I refused to put it off yet again – so here I am at a beach house on the Jersey shore being challenged about this season of life and ministry.

Every morning I have managed a significant walk. The Atlantic Ocean has been roaring with waves that have brought out at least 30 surfers each day. My camera has been working overtime – capturing the colors and movement of the ocean; capturing the movement of the surfers on the horizon. As many of you know, the ocean is that place that calms my soul. As I hypnotically watched the surfers, they came to represent a spiritual truth we had occasion to reflect on this week at CREDO. I watched as the surfers waited and waited – longing for that perfect wave to ride to shore. As they sat straddled on their boards, bodies and boards facing the oncoming swells – ready to pivot and rise – patiently discerning, waiting – in an effort to catch and ride a long-awaited wave. Their sitting on those boards reminded me of those in between spaces of our lives that require a willingness to both lose our balance and a willingness to be actively patient in the waiting – and then committing to the journey or ride before us, never quite certain that it would take us in a direct line to the other side. And along the way, we would likely fall and need to get back up if we wanted to catch another wave.

In many ways, that is the wilderness journey of our moment. The “ecclesia” has often been portrayed as a boat tossed about on the waves in danger of being overturned by the winds and the relentless waves. So my reflecting on the spirit of the surfers is not so far-fetched – as they actively focus, maintain their balance, and prepare to ride into a new space. We are living and leading in what many refer to as the “in between times” – that place between the “what is” and “what is yet to be.” The church is invited to be that bridge (that third place if you will) that acknowledges the discomfort, the pain, the stress, the grief of the people with whom we journey. The church is to be that place that recognizes the injustice, the hungry, the homeless – both spiritual and physical – of the world in which we live. The church is to be that space that affirms that “the what is yet to be” is of God. It is that space that affirms that we are called to join God on that committed ride to bring Christ-like hope and reality into the world.

There is no question that the waves beneath the boat or the surfboard can be threatening and overwhelming, causing us to lose our balance; causing us to lose sight of what is before us. COVID has taken the lives of more than 200,000 people. Grief, racism, senseless violence, hunger, homelessness, create a narrative that can be paralyzing – causing us to shut down – even when we know that something is profoundly broken in our culture at this moment in history. We would rather watch others from the shore than get in the boat or on the surfboard.

But here’s the thing – we are the “others” – there are no others. We are the ones called to get in the water and ride with God through this season of unrest. We are the ones who are called to find ways to bring transformation possibilities to the world. And we are the ones who are called to believe that “with God, all things are possible.” Afterall, we have already proven to be a resilient people – a people who have found ways to be “church” at a time such as this. The resilience of a people is greatly framed by our ability to lean into these “in between spaces“ – it is framed by our ability to maintain our balance beneath our surf boards – ready to pivot and rise – as we actively wait and prepare to join God on the journey. “…Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord”