August 2021: “Leave it at the Foot of the Mountain”

In his book Canoeing the Mountains, author Tod Bolsinger compares our current Christian moment to the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804. There was a moment when exploring the North West Passage, Bolsinger explains, when the entire expedition (around 50 people in all) literally left the map stepping into previously unknown territory. It wasn’t that no one had been there before: thousands of natives formed nations and groups in this region, but the American knowledge of this land was little. The American maps had their limits, and so it was that there reached a point when the expedition left the map and stepped into the unknown.

Bolsinger says that there are many things the modern church can learn from the Lewis and Clark story especially when you look at decisions they made along their journey. Stepping off the map was one major choice; they would follow the river they were canoeing down not knowing where it would lead them. Would this river flow all the way to the Pacific Ocean like they hoped? Would it develop into rapids too treacherous to traverse? Would they find it led to a huge river system that could connect them to untold treasures and untapped wilderness? There was no way of knowing what lay beyond the map unless they fully committed to their mission of exploration and discovery.

So they left the map and what came to pass was an unexpected turn of events: traveling in their canoes, the expedition ran out of river! They had reached a mountain range we now call the Rockies. DRAT! They were hoping it’d be smooth sailing, but, like Bolsinger explains that in that moment too, Lewis and Clark and their companions were presented with another choice. Do they leave their canoes behind and start climbing the mountains on foot, or do they turn back and go home defeated by the new terrain they didn’t expect? Canoeing the mountains was not an option.

In the life of the church, for a variety of reasons, we have found ourselves placed on the edge of the map. While we may feel like we are in totally new territory, the truth is that the vast majority of churches are still living comfortably on the map. The paths we tend to walk as a church are well known and well-trodden. But today church is not as popular as it once was, and less and less persons seem to find their way to church on their own. So we find ourselves creeping ever closer to the edge of the map – looking out at what feels like an unknown wilderness. It leaves us with a question, “Should we travel out beyond off the map to see what’s really out there?” Or another question, “Do we trust that God will guide us if we leave the streets we’ve grown accustomed to?” Or how about this one, “Do we trust each other enough to travel together in an unknown world?”

I can’t answer these questions for us as a church, but what I do know is that wilderness adventures have been successful in the past, and that God is calling us beyond our usual borders. If we can trust enough to step off of the map we will find new realities and things we’ve never seen before! Like Lewis and Clark we may find that there lies ahead terrain we didn’t prepare for, we’ll need to learn to adapt. Back then, the mission mattered more than their pride or their comfort. They wanted to see what was on the other side! So too in the church, our slip stream of a water ride has come to an end and there are some unexpected obstacles in our path. The tools that got us here might not serve us well if we want to press on. Yesterday’s solutions will not solve today’s problems, and whether we like it or not – in the work of God – there is no throwing up our hands and going back the way we came. With God, you’re either moving forward or you’re sitting at a river’s end.

It is the new age of exploration, and our journey is far from over! It is indeed a challenge, and it is indeed a gift. We stand on the shoulders of many who got us to where we are and now we must forge our own path and meet our own moment. Thanks be to God for trusting us to travel without a map, and for being a God that will guide us. Let us learn to trust God enough, and trust each other enough, to find new horizons in this sacred calling of Christ.

July 2021

I’ve heard an African proverb that says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go
far, go together.” Teamwork will get you far but it takes a lot of patience, communication
and, yes, even some stubbornness for it to work. But the most essential element to all
teamwork is trust. Before you pass them the ball, you need to trust your teammate will
wield it wisely. The soprano section needs to trust each alto to remember their quarter rest
lest they make the entire choir look foolish. In any business enterprise you need to trust
your coworkers to each do their part, to not sell you out and to share the same goals as
the rest of the team.

Trust is everywhere but we all come to trust at different speeds based on our personalities
and our histories. Some of us trust only after seeing good work, some of us trust by seeing
secrets kept and some of us trust through the familiarity of time. So to be the church, if we
want to get far, we will need to learn to trust each other. And, as for me, you have my trust
unless you break it and if you tell me something in confidence, I’ll believe you.
It seems to me as an outsider at least, that there is already great trust shared among the
Oneida First Church family. The past year you’ve had patience, communication,
stubbornness and a great deal of trust as you found ways to work as a team to make
ministry happen and grow. I so look forward to working and growing alongside you all and I
pray that we can learn to go far together as we trust God to guide us. May God be with us
on our journey.