Somewhere along the way, most of us have heard part of the myth of Icarus.
The part we have heard usually involves the ingenious inventor Daedalus and his son Icarus, who are trapped together on the island of Crete. Seeking a way off the island, Daedalus crafts wings for them both, made of feathers, thread, and wax. As he hands Icarus his wings, Daedalus offers a word of caution, his eyes brimming with pride and concern:
My son, we have the means to escape – but heed my words. Do not fly too close to the sun, for its scorching heat will melt the wax and lead to your downfall.
That’s where Daedalus’ speech ends and the tragedy begins. Icarus does indeed fly too high, his wings melt, and he plummets to earth. His fate will stand forever as a warning against “flying too close to the sun.”
But that is not the whole of this myth. In the full telling, Daedalus says to Icarus:
My son, we have the means to escape but heed my words. Do not fly too close to the sun, for its scorching heat will melt the wax and lead to your downfall. But neither should you fly too close to the sea, as the moisture will weigh you down.
Cautions abound right now to be prudent and careful in navigating the uneven landscape of ministry. Don’t risk too much or you will lose what you have. And yet there is a converse danger, that we will settle for something too low and get pulled down.
But neither should you fly too close to the sea, as the moisture will weigh you down.
What if you could change the lens through which your church board is viewing its ministry? What if this is actually the very best time for ministry in our lifetimes? Young people are increasingly interested in learning about Jesus, even as (or perhaps because) levels of loneliness and disconnection have risen to an all-time high. Every generation of Americans reports an increased longing to “make a difference in our world.” Weary of shallowness and the failed lure of swiping at apps, people are yearning for depth. Repelled by the harshness of civic discourse, they are yearning for tenderness.
Care
Connection
Community
Depth
At our best, churches following Jesus Christ know how to do this and how to offer this.
“Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation,” Paul wrote to the challenging group of Jesus’ followers in Corinth. Or, as Eugene Peterson translates it for us in The Message:
Companions as we are in this work with you, we beg you, please don’t squander one bit of this marvelous life God has given us. God reminds us,
I heard your call in the nick of time;
The day you needed me, I was there to help.
Well, now is the right time to listen, the day to be helped. Don’t put it off; don’t frustrate God’s work by showing up late, throwing a question mark over everything we’re doing. Our work as God’s servants gets validated—or not—in the details. People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly . . . in hard times, tough times, bad times; when we’re beaten up, jailed, and mobbed; working hard, working late, working without eating; with pure heart, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love; when we’re telling the truth, and when God’s showing his power; when we’re doing our best setting things right; when we’re praised, and when we’re blamed; slandered, and honored; true to our word, though distrusted; ignored by the world, but recognized by God; terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead; beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die; immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching many; having nothing, having it all.
Dear, dear Corinthians, I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively! (2 Corinthians 6:1-13)
Your church may never have a better time than right now to follow the spirit of God. Wonder of wonders, all we have been through has led us to today’s opportunity “to enter this wide-open, spacious life.”
As Leonard Bernstein so memorably said, “I don’t know the question, but the answer is YES!” What if your church board were to begin its work this fall by saying, “YES!”?
When in your own life have you flown too close to the sun? When have you flown too low and gotten pulled down?
What words or phrases stand out to you in Peterson’s translation of 2 Corinthians 6: 1-13?
What do you make of Paul’s claim that now is the right time? What about now makes it the right time, according to Paul?
What is now the right time for in the life of your congregation?
Where are you as a church board “throwing a question mark over everything,” when you don’t even know the question? Where could you start your work together this fall by just saying “YES”?
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