I always walk gingerly to the ocean from the parking lot.
I’m barefoot, it’s dark, and I’m without glasses.
Sometimes the street is smattered with smashed bottles from the night before.
I’ve pulled Heineken glass splinters from my feet before. No bueno.
Recently, Phil walked beside me to the shore. Phil is an excellent surfer, a respected local who has legitimately competed and placed in multiple surf contests. Phil is a serious athlete.
But today as he trudged down the wooden staircase to the sand, his steps were calculated, but not to avoid glass.
He was cautiously trying to avoid further injury.
Phil explained the limp.
You see, he had been recently teaching his niece to surf and planted his feet as he pushed her into a wave. He shredded the ligaments in his knee.
Which begged the question…
Me:“Phil, if you have a torn up knee, why are you walking with me to surf?”
Phil: “Oh I’m not going to surf. I am going to lay on my belly and just do my best.”
Ok. Stop.
So I have to explain. When surfing at particular spots, guys who ride on their belly will be made fun of. They might be called “kooks” or even chased away from the waves altogether. People might even compare you to ME! But Phil didn’t care. He just wanted to be in the water. God’s creation draws you in like that with dolphins and glassy waves, sculpted to look like rooms of emerald.
And so we paddled out together.
As the sky went pink to orange to blue, Phil caught lots of waves on his belly.
He wasn’t ashamed. He laughed. He teased his buddies.
He enjoyed himself.
I’ve been around church long enough to know many of you have serious injuries.
You suffer from addiction, heartache, embarrassment.
Your knee may not be shredded but your confidence is.
You seem to get it wrong more than you get it right.
Jesus tells a story in Luke 14 to illustrate who is welcome in His kingdom:
A man gives a feast and ends up rejected by his friends.
And so he invites “The poor, maimed, blind and lame” to his party.
He even searches along the highways and byways for those society might call wretched and invites them in to his celebration.
This story should give us hope.
Because in most places, I feel a bit like Phil. Injured. But in the same way we should take a cue from Phil.
We should paddle out anyway. We should feel unashamed to seek after God in our weakness and suffering. Because he loves us. And so does his church.
If your marriage is on the rocks, come be with the church, even if you have to ride on your belly.
If you have doubts about Jesus, join us in the water anyway.
If you have screwed up so many times, you feel beyond forgiveness, get your butt in the water. You are loved and no one is beyond God’s forgiveness.
See you Sunday,
-Pastor Dale