Let Us Go Across to the Other Side
Posted on Jun 16, 2021 by Jon Brudvig
Like the disciples who journeyed with Jesus across the Sea of Galilee, many of us may struggle to heed Jesus’ invitation, “Let us go across to the other side” (Mark 4:35). It is only natural, after all. Our brains are hardwired to resist change. We hesitate to venture into unfamiliar waters. Or maybe we just prefer to remain where we are, anchored in the comfortable and familiar.
Living into the reality that we are called, equipped, and sent to be the church together can be terrifying. Some of us, like Jesus’ disciples riding out a raging tempest on the Sea of Galilee, may find ourselves paralyzed by fear. The task appears too difficult, so we do nothing. Or we would rather tread water, doing our best to keep things the way they are (or were) rather than to live into our baptismal calling as a missional people who heed the invitation of our missional God.
Change is difficult. The mission partners of Salem Lutheran Church know this reality all too well. Yet, note how God’s Spirit always leads us beyond ourselves, out into the world that God loves. And while fear may hold us back from time to time, God’s Spirit equips us, empowers us, and sends us forth to be the church together.
The good news in all of this is that God calls us to be faithful, not necessarily successful (according to the world’s understanding of success). Even better, the one who calls out, “Let us go across to the other side,” is in the boat with us!
Pastor Jon