LESSONS FROM THE CLIMBING WALL
A meditation by the Rev. Dr. James G. Kirk
Harundale Presbyterian Church
Text: “Go on your way.” (Luke 10:3)
First
Second
One of the most popular exhibits at the General Assembly each year has been the climbing wall in the exhibit area. It allows the commissioners to get some exercise in the midst of sitting through endless meetings. It’s relatively safe, since each person wears a harness attached to a life line. It’s a challenge to see how far someone can climb; can they reach the top and ring the bell? So, while people are off checking out the other exhibits periodically they hear the ding of the bell, signaling that another climber has successfully completed the ascent. Plus it attracts people of all ages, both sexes and is definitely multi-cultural.
All of
which brings us to our story in Luke.
Jesus gives them a crash course on what to expect as he sends them out
into the villages he himself is going to visit.
They are to travel light, no purse, no bags, no sandals and they’re to
greet no one on the road. In other words
their goal is to get to where they’ve been sent in the most direct and
expeditious way possible. Or, to carry
the metaphor of the wall, they’re “to ring the bell.” Much like what we do at the beginning of our
worship, when they enter a house, they’re to say, “Peace to this house! Or
peace be with you!” Again, much like
what we do, if the person responds, “And also with you,” the peace they pass
will remain with the person. If, on the
other hand, there’s no response then the peace they passed would return to
them. And regardless of the response
they get they’re always to announce that “the
Well, as we hear later in the story their tour of duty is a complete success: “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” And why shouldn’t they? Again, we’re so surprised when our prayers get answered. The other day while I was jogging through the neighborhood I was brooding about something I had to do. As usual I use the jogging time for my morning prayers, so I asked God for some guidance and immediately got the answer I needed. “Wow that was fast!” I said, and immediately thanked God for the guidance received.
When Jesus told the disciples to
travel lightly he implied how they shouldn’t get overburdened with all the
issues that could confront them. Rather
they were to focus on their immediate mission, which was to proclaim the
A lesson learned from the climbing wall is to stay focused on the next step and then the step after that. People loose their footing when they only focus their vision on the top and not on what it takes to get there. Another reminder is to remember that each step you take you will always be attached to your life line. As you can imagine this past week was a very difficult one for the Kirk family. The kids hadn’t wanted too much fuss made about their pregnancy for the very reason that something could happen along the way. But, as is so often the case, as each week went by they got a little bolder about the possibility that the baby would be born healthy and well. Sonograms showed ten fingers and ten toes; they heard a strong heart beat. So why not hopefully announce that there would be a new grandchild? And then it happened. For whatever reason the baby had died and the prayers began to help them get through each step of the birthing process, knowing how difficult it would be. There was the life line to God. We prayed that God would be with them. There was the life line to us. We stayed on the phone with them and kept assuring them that we were there with them. There was their life line with each other. They knew that in the end this would only make their love stronger, but it was undoubtedly the most difficult climb of their young lives!
Jesus concludes our story, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” You remember how in the beginning, Jesus told the disciples that wherever they went they were to tell the people, “The kingdom of God has come near to you,” that is Jesus had commissioned them as agents of God’s kingdom. Now he tells them that henceforth they will be able to cast all demons aside, because God has already inscribed their names in heaven. Simply put, climb any wall that presents itself! Don’t let the demons get the best of you, because on the other side God is waiting for you. God doesn’t want you to quit because the ascent is too steep, or you can’t find a foothold, or you’re afraid of falling. Remember, Satan has already fallen from heaven and can no longer exert any influence or hindrance on you. Some people have told me that they approach a climbing wall as a religious experience. Indeed, why shouldn’t any challenge we face be such a religious experience. After all, God in Christ still holds the life line. So, if we climb we climb unto the Lord and if we fall we fall unto the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord!
Thanks be to God,
Amen