Sermonette: Canoeing

I like canoeing. I used to go to the Boundary Waters in Minnesota before I moved further away but even today, I enjoy jumping in the James River with my canoe and a paddle. If you’ve never canoed before, perhaps someday I can give you a lesson. As you learn, you’ll notice something odd: good canoeists paddle on both sides.

Perhaps that seems inefficient to you. You think “joe, doesn’t it make more sense for you to paddle on one side, and the front man (usually my wife) to paddle on the other side?” Logically, that does make sense, but in practicality, there are variables. Wind, current, strength differences, steering, even sore muscles demand periodic changes to which side you’re paddling on. In fact, seasoned canoeists utilize strokes like the “j-stroke” and “c-stroke” to further increase the effect of which side they’re paddling on. If you sat in front, but only watched me, you would be incredibly confused as to what I was doing. You’d think I was horribly inefficient and would likely doubt if we were ever going to get to our destination.

Similarly, culture is often confused by Christianity. One minute, Christians and their churches are driving the charge to end slavery; then next, they’re silent during the 2021 BLM protests/riots. Christians give exponentially more to charity than atheists, yet are also consistently against most government social programs. We champion the cause of the needy with food shelves and various low income housing missions, but doubt the wisdom of squatters rights. If you watch only the church, you’re likely to think we’re crazy, inefficient, or foolish.

However, the key is what you’re watching. Watch me canoeing or watch the church, and you might be confused; but when I’m canoeing, I’m not worrying about what side I’m paddling on, I’m focused on my destination. Whether I drive hard on the right to counter a firm left side breeze, or do three left strokes and one right strokes to counter a weaker right-handed paddler in the front of the canoe doesn’t matter. What matters is that I do my best to keep the canoe on a line to my destination.

Likewise, Jesus’ Body, the church, is not here to enact social justice; it’s here to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Sometimes that lines up with the social issues of the day. Sometimes it doesn’t; but it’s not the church changing direction, it’s the culture constantly shifting. The faithful may look like they’re switching sides or being selectively lazy, but in reality they’re simply doing their best to keep their eyes on Jesus. Today, let this truth sink in to your deepest level: culture changes. Jesus does not. Don’t worry about whether you’re in step with what your friends value. Worry about paddling towards Jesus.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

–Romans 12:2

“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

–Philippians 3:13-14