life has a rhythm

The follow is my sermon intro for this Sunday it will be read/performed with a bongo player!  I've never done anything like this and will probably not be wearing a dye-died t-shirt and I hope I won't hear people snap their fingers in approval after it's over.

Life has a rhythm

(Drums Start)

It’s an unpredictable series of declarations

Of our lives

 From exposition

To Rising Action

Conflict

Climactic scenes

Resolution and denumaunte

(Silence) 

It has a rhythm but you can’t always hear that sound of the drum

(Drums)

 Sometimes you create your own rhythm

Other times the rhythm creates you

It creates movement and color

It connects us

with each other

It connects us with God. 

Life is a holy rhythmic festival of faith

Even those without faith

Hear the beating

Of life and wonder

At night’s desperation

When there is no sound

No sleep

No up or down

We all ask

“Is there more?”

(Silence)

It started with a death.

John the Baptist

His head on a platter

The one who prepared the way.

The one Jesus knew as a child

For a moment the beating stopped

And Jesus went to a solitary place

 A place to connect

A place to weep

A place to question 

The lonely place

 (Drums start again)

 But the people saw him

 And the tempo increased 

He saw them coming

He felt their struggle

Broken people

His disciples heard the rhythm of desperation

 The word spread

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

 The rhythm of healing

The rhythm of teaching

The rhythm of worship

And then rhythm of desperation. 

But the rhythm collided with practicality.

 (Drums Stop)

We are out here in the middle of nowhere! 

The people are hungry!  There’s not a fish stand for miles!  Jesus what are we going to do! Somebody close in prayer!  And tell them to go away!

(Drums start again)

Jesus spoke

Matter-of-factly

Jesus spoke 

From a different perspective. 

The disciples worried

The disciples spoke

From their inadequacy

Jesus spoke

From his sufficiency 

He said “You give them something to eat” 

(Silence)

Wait a second.  Us?  You want us to give them something to eat?  I’m a firm believer in delegation but you don’t understand we don’t have what it takes to feed this many people.

He said it again! “You give them something to eat.”

We only have five loaves and two fish.

I can use what you have.

He gave thanks and broke the bread 

(Drums start) 

First slowly 

Then surprisingly 

The rhythm 

Of giving 

The rhythm of a whole lot from very little

The rhythm of provision 

But not just provision

Abundance 

And after this Jesus sent the disciples on a boat to go ahead of him 

And Jesus went to pray alone

(Silence)

He knew the rhythm of the divine and the rhythm of rest, the rhythm of connection

It’s a slower rhythm but a rhythm still the same

(Drums start)

As the disciples jumped

Into a boat

Things started slowly

The rhythm of paddles caressing the glassy surface of the water.

But the sky darkened,

The night fell

The waves rose.

3 AM

Weary from the dance

Of crashing waves

And bailing water

And screaming fits

And fearful souls

A figure came

They thought it was a ghost.

And amazingly

They realized it was Jesus

Just passing by the boat.

(Silence)

In the original Greek it doesn’t say he stopped

He just casually walks on water.

This was a new rhythm of reality.

And suddenly in the middle of the deep darkness of night

And in the middle of wide-eyed amazement and confusion

Jesus said Take courage. It’s me!  Don’t be afraid! 

Fast Drums- Loud

At that moment everything in Peter commanded him to shout to Jesus

Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.

Jesus cried out.  OK Come on out.

All the sudden things just stopped

(Drums Stop)

Peter looked at the water.

Looked back at his travelling companions.

Looked at Jesus

He gripped the side of the boat as if his life depended upon it.

Did I really say what I thought I said?

I’ve been a fisherman all my life.

I know what happens to people when they leave the boat.

Am I crazy?

I saw the fish.

Jesus did it.

I saw the bread.

Jesus did it.

I also heard about John and things didn’t turn out so well for him.

I know what the waves are like.

It’s the middle of the night

The conditions are far from perfect for swimming much less walking… on water. 

What am I thinking?

This is crazy

Why did I even open my mouth?

But he said come.

 (Drums begin slowly)

 One foot

I’m actually doing it.

Two feet.

There’s no stopping now.

Three steps.

Lord, could you please say peace be still?

Fourth step- the wind.

And then

Lord save me.

(Silence)

Jesus plucked him from the water.

Jesus smiled, “Peter where’d your faith go?

And they climbed in the boat. And they worshipped Him for who he was the Amazing God that breaks the rules of physics. The rules he created when God said, Let there be light.

He was and is the God of wonders. A God who invites us all to get out of the boat.

End

After sermon

And the rhythm continues

Life is filled with uncertainties

And the waves are overwhelming

The wind howls today just as it did in Jesus day.

When a car hits a tree and the sirens wail

When you see the culture destroy children

Denying that there is a God

When leaders get sick

When leaders are nowhere to be found.

He’s calling out to us

Get out of the boat

This perfect storm is God sent- even in all its complexities.

The rhythm goes forward

Pressing

Bidding

Daring

For you to risk

For you to be an active participant rather than a feeble spectator.

But to hear the rhythm

We have to slow down

And really listen

To let go of the rail

To let go of the fear

And allow his challenge to actually, incredibly surprisingly calm us

So that we

Can be

Completely

Desperately

Abandoned

To Him