Whale Shark
Originally scheduled for August 2
She was about eight years old at the time. Her
father announced that they were going on a tour boat to see (and
swim with) some whale sharks. This struck fear in her mind. She
thought of how small she was and how big sharks are. Everything she
knew about sharks came from the movie, “Jaws”.
When she got out to where the sharks were, her
father volunteered himself and her to be the first ones in the water
to swim with the sharks. Whale sharks are the largest fish in the
sea. They can grow to a length of over 60 feet. This particular
whale shark was a little over 30 feet long. To her credit, she
decided to conquer her fears by bravely jumping in and going up to
touch the shark. As she reached out to touch the shark, one of the
tour guides yanked her hand back. They went to the surface and the
tour guide explained in rather angry tones that you are not supposed
to touch a whale shark. Why? It’s because the whale shark coats
itself with a rather clear slime to protect its skin. If you touch
the shark, you might scrape some of this off and thus leave the
shark open to infection. The whale shark itself is no threat to
humans; it is a filter feeder that lives off tiny organisms in the
sea. At eight years old, she was a much greater threat to the shark
than the shark could ever be to her.
It is surprising to human beings sometimes just
how our view of the world is distorted. She saw a “big” shark and a
“small” girl, and concluded that the odds were all in favor of the
shark. We often see the powers of this world the same light. We seem
so small, and they seem so arrogant and high and mighty. “Pride
goeth before a fall” — but sometimes the fall doesn’t happen when we
want it to. But hubris is still there; God still brings down the
prideful and evil. Sometimes we forget that he is not finished with
us yet.
We forget some of the essential characteristics
of God — especially when we look at ourselves. We seem so weak and
forget that we are not the only resource available. Indeed, it might
be helpful to lay this out explicitly.
·
God is powerful.
·
God will intervene for those he
loves.
·
God loves us, to the point of going
to the Cross.
The battle belongs to the Lord. That’s why we
say that we “celebrate” Communion. The bread and cup represents his
sacrifice on the Cross. They also remind us of the Resurrection and
of our resurrection to come. Communion symbolizes to us the triumph
of God’s love. It also shows us the promise of victory to come, when
he returns.
