The poet John O'Donohue once wrote, "I would love to live like a river, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding." Reading that, I have a curiosity about those of you how actually know how to swim. How does knowing that you will not sink, but rather will be upheld in the water, impact your life, "spiritually" or otherwise? Speaking more metaphorically, for those who have found a way to be "carried" by grace at a challenging time when you would otherwise have been overwhelmed, how did you come to realize that?
This past May, I went to an adult “Learn to Swim” school in Phoenix, Arizona. It had long been on my bucket list to learn how to swim. It was an intriguing experience, to be sure, and I’d bet good money that I’ll be talking about it in the sermon on Sunday. Now to be clear, I can’t say that I can now swim like a fish, because that simply is not the case. But in a few short days, I learned that if I managed my breath and did not panic, my body has a natural buoyancy. Before I attended the class, I was afraid of going in water that deeper than chest height. By the end of the week, I was, with confidence jumping off the board into water that was ten feet deep. Somehow, I learned that I could be “held” in the water.
The singer in Psalm 42 tells a lyrical story about longing for spiritual home while in profound exile. In the first stanza, this desire to be in the Temple is like a thirsty deer craving water from a river. In the second stanza, the psalmist describes an experience of desolation that is like being overcome with “billows and waves”. In the midst of that oceanic stress, the singer sings, “Why are you cast down, O My Soul? Hope in God.” Somehow, the psalmist learned to swim in the troubled waters of abandonment and exile. In some way, the singer found hope, and was carried by the surprise of the Divine unfolding.
We’ll talk about this Sunday at St. Mark’s, as the sermon is titled, “Deep Calls Unto Deep: When the Waves Roll Over Us,” arising from Psalm 42, which will be read by Eleanor Lahr, and Matthew 14: 22-32, which will be read by the Brass family. Stephanie Conklin, accompanied by Ilze Akerbergs, will sing “God of the Deep”, composed by Dan Forrest. We’ll have a Mission Moment by Linda Crawford and Nina Taylor about the upcoming Craft Bazaar. We’ll have a moment for Children, prayers and singing together.
If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for a long time, a short time, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with those of you here in-person or joining on the livestream.