Last time I offered the suggestion that although the season
of Pentecost is often called “Ordinary Time” it really isn’t ordinary at all.
It is a time for growth and change in the natural world; and should be in our
lives as well as we allow the Holy Spirit of Pentecost to invade our lives.
Laurie Brock, as noted last time, stated, “Comfort keeps us
locked in the rooms of our own expectations.” I think that is an interesting
comment. What does it mean to you?
For me, it is a reminder that I can want things to be a
certain way, and that makes me resistant to change. It’s a normal human
response. We like things to run smoothly and easily and don’t like to have a
lot of turmoil in our lives; so we create a list of expectations of how life is
going to be.
We might have the expectation that Christmas will be a fun,
family time where everyone gets exactly what they want. That may or may not be
the reality.
We could have the expectation that when we graduate we’ll
find a perfect job and stay there for our entire career. More and more often,
job change, is the norm.
We may have the expectation that we’ll meet the perfect
person and live together in ‘good old-fashioned Leave it to Beaver’ style.
Lives today are a little more complex than portrayed on TV.
We sometimes have the expectation that God will respond to
our every prayer with a smooth-running life. God isn’t a fairy godmother to grant
our every wish.
If all our carefully crafted expectations don’t create the
comfortable serenity we desire, we can get discouraged and depressed. Yet we
still live as though our expectations are going to happen. Every Christmas, we
hope it will be better. Every relationship or job will be ‘the one’.
Where does God enter this equation of wanting to have a
smooth, comfortable life that fulfils our own expectations of the perfect life?
As we’ve seen in the lives of several men and women of God during the Easterseason, God is all about change and creating something new. God isn’t about
maintaining the status quo or making us all comfy and cozy.
The wind of the Spirit of God blows through our expectations
and brings about something much better. It’s not always obvious what God is
doing in a situation, and it can be terribly uncomfortable. God may be bringing
about healing in relationships by the interactions at holidays. God is helping
us grow each time we have a new job or meet someone new. God doesn’t wave a
magic wand and make everything smooth. God invites us to step out onto the
waves of life and grow in our trust in God.
In the Gospels (Matthew 14:22-33) we hear about the
disciples out in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus is not with them because he
stayed behind to pray. When a storm comes up they are terrified and then they
see Jesus walking on the water. He invites Peter to come to him on the waves.
“Then Peter got down
out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the
wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’”
(Matthew 14:29-30) Peter found himself trapped by his own expectations based on
previous experiences. He did not expect
the water to support him. He was unable to see past his own expectations of
what happens when you are in and on the water.
Jesus, “caught him.” Jesus catches each of us when we allow
our expectations to trap us into thinking that something won’t change, or a
situation couldn’t possibly work out. To Peter and to us Jesus says, “You of
little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
You’ll notice in the story in Matthew, “when they climbed
into the boat, the wind died down.” Once we are able to release our personal
expectations and let God act, we very often discover that the gales of our
fearfulness die down as well.
That is what God is always asking us to do. We are invited
out of the comfort created by our own expectations. We are encouraged to let go
of the fear that keeps us trapped in those expectations, simply because we
don’t know what’s on the other side, or what might happen. We are invited to
step out in faith and walk to and with Jesus in a great adventure.
What are your expectations of living as a Christian?
Are you ready to step out of the boat? 