Hi First Presbyterian Church,
Last week during my study leave at Skaneateles Lake, I had the opportunity to retreat, pray, and read. I enjoyed watching the sunsets over the lake, kayaking, and hiking upstream to a 50-foot waterfall. I did a lot of reading and writing, mostly about the Psalms. I was surrounded by water and couldn’t help but think of some of the language used in the Psalms about water. Psalm 65:9 describes God: “You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it.” Water is a source of nourishment and life. God gives us water as a way to care for and nurture us and the earth. It’s no wonder, then, that the psalmist imagines God as one who “leads me beside still waters” (Psalm 23:2). Water is a helpful image for contemplating the peace and tranquility that comes from knowing God. Yet, at the same time, the Psalms also describe God in relation to the immense power and strength of water. Psalm 89:9 describes God: “You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.” Water is also a helpful image for contemplating the might and power of God.
While at Skaneateles Lake, I felt as though I had encounters with both of these aspects of water. Watching the sun set over the stillness of the lake made me feel at peace. Hiking up through the waters of the stream to find a hard-to-reach waterfall made me feel nervous and uneasy at times, since the cascading waters made the steep and slippery terrain difficult to traverse. These two aspects of water, these two aspects of God, reminded me of a moment from C.S. Lewis’ children’s story The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In the story, some children find themselves in a world of fantasy called Narnia. In Narnia, the Christ-figure is a lion named Aslan. As a talking beaver is leading the children to meet Aslan, they discover that Aslan is a lion. One the children responds to this news: "Ooh… I'd thought he was a man. Is he - quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.” The beaver responded to her: “Safe?... Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good.”
That description of Aslan has always stuck with me: not safe, but good. Of course, C.S. Lewis always wants us to understand Jesus in that same way: not safe, but good. What does that mean? God is big and powerful enough to be quite dangerous. That’s the result of being omnipotent. To be all-powerful is to be capable of being very unsafe, especially to someone who is less powerful. Yet, because God is also perfectly good, God would never use power to harm us. God uses the immense power God possesses to help, benefit, and love us. I often contemplate these aspects of God together, and I find great comfort in it. I found great comfort in it as I contemplated it last week beside the calm and raging waters. I hope you find great comfort it in today. May you discover God’s great power… to love.
Peace to you,
Pastor Neff