I tend not to hang out with------O.K., I tend to dislike, tend to be jealous of, super fit, climb mountains, jump over ravines, rappelling, outdoorsy types, but I’ll ask this question anyway since I’m sure Jesus is going to help me love even these people,----------Is there a Wedgewoodian present today who has participated in the Outward Bound program and lived to tell about it?
I’m sure Outward Bound is an outstanding, marvelous, exceptional program. Sure of it. But I’m also sure Outward Bound for me----for me would be like a hell on earth, a worst case nightmare. You see, I’m not much of a risk taker.
Go the Outward Bound web page and you’ll read this about Outward Bound’s so-called “Challenge Activities”. I quote:
You face purposeful challenges-----what a phrase---purposeful challenges----you face purposeful challenges like peak ascents, whitewater days or other Outward Bound challenge activities.
Climbing and Rappelling: You climb rocks, rappel and learn that climbing is more about mental toughness than physical strength.
I’m personally happy with my current level of mental toughness so no thank you on the rappelling.
Ropes Course: You solve problems and overcome doubts when you take on an obstacle course of beams and cables suspended high in the sky. The operative phrase there is “suspended high in the sky”.
I personally prefer to keep my feet firmly planted on the ground, thank you.
Having just heard my take on Outward Bound I’m sure it will not surprise you to learn that on my top ten places I hate to visit is a place most of you probably enjoyed. You thrill seekers, you daredevils---- emphasis on the devil-----you reckless, adventure seeking, scare your momma individuals probably loved it.
If you live in North Carolina chances are you’ve been to this place. I’m referring to Grandfather Mountain. Specifically, I’m thinking about that nerve-wracking, terrifying, petrifying, swinging bridge. The Mile High Swinging Bridge, to be exact, was built to give visitors easy access to the breath-taking view from Grandfather Mountain's Linville Peak. The 228-foot suspension bridge spans an 80-foot chasm at more than one mile in elevation. Gulp. No, double gulp.-----------------Surveys show that the journey to the other side is always considered the highlight of a trip to Grandfather Mountain. Not so with me. I-----I actually never made it onto the bridge even though my son, who at that point and time was in elementary school,-----I didn’t put a foot on that bridge even though Junior stood on the bridge and in front of God and everybody at Grandfather Mountain called me a chicken and starting flapping his arms and making a stupid chicken sound.
I am not one to take risks.
Marcy Barrell’s soon to be 80 years old in May father recently did some skydiving. Brought some photos to church to prove it---or to show off or to, I’ll be kind now, to celebrate it. Glad he enjoyed it. Not me. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not the next day. He can jump out of planes. The only thing I can do is jump out the bed and I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to do that.
And don’t try to get me to do any bungee jumping, either. Why would I pay good, hard earned money to make myself sick? Why would I risk another injury to this old body of mine?
I’m not one to take a risk. I said that, didn’t I?
Let me solve a little mystery for you. You are probably wondering why the Wedgewood choir never sits in the choir loft? Too risky. Do you actually think I would have my back to that angelic choir. No way. Always keep an eye on the Christians. Keep them in front of you where you can see what they are doing.
I don’t like risks even though I am aware that life has its risks. A commited relationships or marriage is a risk. Having children is a risk. Having any surgery is a risk. Driving in Charlotte is a risk. Eating chili at Lupie’s and Wedgewood is a risk. Amen. I told you I was going to use the chili analogy as long as I want to use it.
I am cognizant that there are risks and then there are risks. Some risks are risker than others. I’ve got enough common sense to know you have to figure out what risks to take and what risks not to take.
So------so tell me this. As a general rule, do you take a fair share of risks or do you play it safe?
What’s the biggest risk you have ever taken?
How long has it been since you took a risk?
When you have taken risks, have they worked out or have they bombed?
Have you ever taken a risk on another person, an individual you were not sure about, not sure you wanted to invest in emotionally or with your time because they seemed a bit iffy?
I believe the Christian journey calls us to take risks, risks for Jesus, risks for the kingdom of God, risks on people.
The Franciscan Jean Buridan has a famous parable titled "Buridan's Ass," that demonstrates how you have to risk choosing one thing over another if you want to proceed forward. The story goes like this:
An ass, and by ass I mean donkey----Thought I had better clear that up----an ass had two heaps of hay in front of him, both of the same size and both located at equal distances. He could not make a decision as to which heap of hay should be eaten first. He continued asking himself which was the better choice until finally he died of hunger, being unable to find a logical reason for choosing one heap over the other, unable to risk making a choice of one over the other.
Not taking risks can actually hurt us or prevent us from being the person God wants us to be.
Have you ever noticed that a turtle travels only when it sticks its neck out. (Induk Pahk, The Wisdom of the Dragon (New York: Harper & Row, 1970), 70.
When’s the last time you stuck your neck out?
Wayne Gretsky, the National Hockey League star puts it this way: You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.
Joe Garagiola, former major league baseball star and TV personality, tells about a time when Stan Musial came to the plate in a critical game. As a super hitter, Musial was at the peak of his career. The opposing pitcher in the game was young and nervous. Garagiola, as the catcher, called for a fastball and the pitcher shook his head no; Joe signaled for a curve and again the pitcher shook him off. He then asked for one of the pitcher's specialties and still the pitcher hesitated. So Joe went out to the mound for a conference. He said, "I've called for every pitch in the book; what do you want to throw?"
"Nothing," was the pitcher's shaky reply. "I just want to hold on to the ball as long as I can."
Listen. God doesn't ask us to be macho daredevils or to take bad risks, but God does ask us take some risks, God asks us to throw the baseball.
I hope you realize that Wedgewood would not be Wedgewood if some of us had not been willing to take a risk. For those of you who are new to Wedgewood, let me explain. When I arrived at Wedgewood in 1989 this sanctuary on a typical Sunday was filled with 140 people. At Easter or Christmas you could add 20 to that number making it 160. We had two full time employees, a minister, me, and a youth minister, and a part-time secretary. We had a sizeable youth group and a sizeable senior group. But then we started taking risks. We took a risk when we joined the Alliance of Baptists. We took a risk when I published articles in The Charlote Observer like “July Fourth: A Dangerous Day for Christians” which tackled the issue of patriotism and Christianity or my article on the first Gulf War, and other articles. We took a risk when we voted to leave the Southern Baptist Convention. We took a risk when we became involved in The Room In The Inn program. We took a risk when we decided to house the Baptist Peace Fellowship. We took a risk when we took a stand on being a welcoming and affirming congregation. And there were other risks. Believe me, it was not a sure thing. Ask Glenn Johnson. He’ll tell you. I called Glenn up more than once and we went through the church directory counting votes.
I’m not a risk taker but I felt like Wedgewood was a risk I had to take. I felt like Charlotte needed a church like Wedgewood. I felt like God was not calling me to pastor a boring run of the mill moderate Baptist church. I felt like----------------------I felt like if I didn’t push I would regret it and I would always question in my mind, what if, what if.
The hard thing was taking the risk that people who were my good friends would leave the church, leave because they didn’t support the vision or leave because they were just dog tired of the fight. And good friends did leave.
It was hard.
And another thing that was difficult was dealing with my ego. Now I’m not one who worries a lot about what other preachers think of me, but I kept having these bad fantasies about having to go to some of my preacher friends and asking for financial help for the church or asking several of them to send 10 people to Wedgewood for five years to help us get back on our feet. And worst of all I had this fantasy of Wedgewood not making it and being labeled as the preacher that killed Wedgewood. Believe me, at one point there was discussion about if we didn’t make it we could donate the property to some other worthy group. Hard to think about. Hard to swallow. Hard to risk.
But if we hadn’t taken the risk Wedgewood would not be Wedgewood and I would have never had the privilege of being the Pastor of all yall new folk.
I didn’t risk putting a foot on that Mile High swinging bridge but I thank God I and others took a risk on Wedgewood.
What risks have you taken that you thank God you took?
During this season of Lent I would like to suggest to you that God has a risk for you to take, not a stock market type risk, not a risk for risk sake risk, but a risk for the kingdom of God. God wants you, I want to encourage you, God wants you to take a risk on another person who could benefit from your friendship, your love, your understanding, the lessons of your journey.
Do you remember Saul who became Paul? Do you remember Ananias who took a risk on Saul, the one who was persecuting the Church? What if Ananias had never taken a risk on Saul?
Or consider this what if. What if ancient Israel had listenen to the majority report and not the minority report of the spies who had scoped out the Promised Land? The majority of the spies said, “Yes, the land is rich and fertile but there are----there are giant people there. We shouldn’t try to take the land.” But the minority report was given by Caleb and he said, “We should attack now. We are strong enough.”
Interestingly, the majority report spies added these revealing words, “Everyone we saw was very tall, and we even saw giants there. We felt as small as grasshoppers.”
As small as grasshoppers. Have you ever felt that way about yourself? Has that self-image prevented you from taking the risks that perhaps God would have you to take?
Palm Sunday is just around the corner. And I know there are Christians who see no risk in it. And they have biblical support for their position. The gospel of John, you might say, has Jesus marching to the beat of a drum to the cross. There is no hesitation, no vacillation, no faltering, no indecision, no risk. But read another gospel and Jesus is sweating, metaphorically writing, sweating blood in the Garden of Gethsemane. And on the cross----and on the cross he feels abandoned, ”My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” Sounds like taking a risk to me.
Next Sunday is Palm Sunday. What risk should you take for Jesus, for the kingdom of God, for yourself?
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