Eternal Echoes

Learning to sail... discerning the Spirit

Over the last couple of days my role as shore crew and photographer has been swapped for the role of sailing crew in our dingy Wild Goose. I have sailed before, first as a teenager taking part in junior racing, and then now and again when Tim has been abandoned by our girls.

My sailing skills are very rusty, and this weekend has seen me experiencing a huge learning curve. Tim thankfully has not minded my rather clumsy attempts at moving around the boat and we have enjoyed sailing together.

As we negotiated the racing circuit this afternoon I began to remember the need to keep making small adjustments to my position within the boat and to the sail that I was responsible for. Sailing on a lake has brought some interesting challenges, including the strange and shifting winds. The winds are affected by the hills and trees surrounding the lake and can change direction quite suddenly. I am glad that Tim's' experience of sailing means that he can spot the wind-shifts and react accordingly.

Tim spoke of sailing the boat in sympathy with the conditions, and how not forcing moves and working with the winds gained the best from the boat. I have been reflecting on that in the light of Jesus words about the Holy Spirit;

"The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." (John 3:8)

You cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going; as far as the wind was concerned today that was certainly my experience, but those who were used to reading the movement in the trees and the ripples on the water knew otherwise. They could see the wind, they were listening and watching for it. They were utilising the power of the wind to the gain an advantage and make good progress.

This watching and waiting and listening exercise was carried out while the boats were underway and called for constant vigilance. It made me wonder what might happen if we Christians as individuals and as a church were so attentive to the moves of the Spirit, and if we actively sought to work in sympathy with what we observed and sensed.

One crew out on the lake were doing some quite aggressive tacking, forcing their boat to roll into the wind, which gained it some momentum, but it slowed up again. Tim believes that forcing the boat through a tack might gain a momentary advantage but will ultimately prove detrimental. I wonder whether we mirror this sometimes as we rush into activities and dive headlong into " new ideas" without correctly discerning the presence and move of the Spirit amongst us.

As far as sailing goes my moves are currently the result of one who is out of shape and out of practice....  and I ask myself where I stand with my ability to respond to the winds of the Spirit.

... a new day, a new month, a new year; but the same journey...

Today for those who aren't aware is the first day of the Methodist New Year, for me it also marks a new beginning and I find myself sitting at my desk towards the end of a fairly busy day contemplating the fact that I am the Minister here in Sherburn in Elmet, along with 3 other smaller chapels. The day started with phone calls which brought about necessary conversations and pastoral visits, tomorrow I will attend our Circuit staff meeting, and the week builds up from there with a Welcome Service in Sherburn Church on Sunday.

Yesterday we returned home after a weekend away in Norfolk to collect the boat, it was odd to go to Norfolk as a holiday destination, although we have a number of friends there who would have offered us accommodation we chose to camp, and I think that was the right decision as the weekend was really the end of the leaving process for us. It also meant that we went to sleep with the sound of wind in the rigging, one of my all time favourite sounds!

It was an interesting weekend, sadly blighted by the theft of two boats from the Sailing Club dingy park. The boats were taken by what must have been a large group of young folk, one was dumped upside down on the shore line and happily suffered only minor damage, the other was dragged half a mile down the beach where it was pushed down a bank, the damage was fairly extensive. The whole escapade was alcohol fueled, evidenced by the 100 empty beer cans scattered around the "camp site". Thankfully the boat was fiberglass so the attempt at burning it failed. How sad that this kind of activity seems like fun through a haze of beer! The silver lining to this cloud was provided by the care and concern of the Sailing Club members who quickly launched a rescue mission.

The second boat surrounded by the remnants of the camp site.

Hauling the boat up the bank was surprisingly easy with so many willing helpers!

As we drove away with our boat in tow it was a strange feeling. I wrote on my face-book status yesterday that there was sailing gear hanging from the washing line up in Yorkshire and by it the new home was "christened" Coleman style!

The sailing club has been an important refuge for us, it has prevented us from becomming overwhelmed in churchiness, (so often a problem for full-time church workers), and given us a place to play and pray. It has brought us into contact with a wide variety of folk who keep us aware that there are MANY good people who are not associated with church. Despite stretched finances joining a new sailing club is a priority.

Tim is still waiting to hear from a neighbouring circuit regarding the possibility of work opportunities, and has begun his reading for Cliff College's MA course which he begin's next week.

The change we were waiting for has arrived, and despite some unforeseen difficulties it feels right, if more than a little disorienting!

I'll finish with a quote from Frances Ward:

"To be on the path of life is to be willing to be transformed and changed in ways that take us to the very core of our identity, where all we hold most dear and most terrifying is found. Learning is to seek after God on a life long journey. .... Just as God is both the ancient of days and the eternal child this journey will not necessarily be a linear one... "

My journey has certainly not been linear, and I don't expect that it will suddenly become so, but I journey with the one who holds me when I fall, and encourages me when I make good progress...and that is enough.