The Grapevine
a bimonthly publication of Christ Church Cathedral Hartford, Connecticut
Christ Church Cathedral
From the Canon Vicar…
September/October 2009
Lessons in Fishing; Lessons in Community Some of you may have heard my July 19 sermon in which I recounted an experience I had while on vacation in
Trinidad. On the first morning of my visit to a beach resort in a small fishing village in the southwestern region of the island, I decided to go for what I hoped would be a calm, leisurely walk. Although the events of the next three hours were neither calm nor leisurely, I am grateful for what they taught me about life in community. Here are a couple of excerpts from “My Mayaro Adventure,” a lesson I learned from each, and questions for us to ponder: Shortly after I left the hotel, I came upon three men who were pulling something from the water. I intended to say “hello” and pass them by, but the leader called out to me. “Do you want to help us pull this seine?” “What’s that?” I asked. He smiled and showed me the edge of a fishing net. “Oh. Sure, I’ll help,” I said, thinking it would take only a few minutes. As we go about our lives, often on an ordinary day, and usually in an unexpected way, God comes to us, inviting us into new adventures of faith. Trusting that God is present and active – even during the “interruptions” in our lives – can teach us much about God’s character and can help us discern the larger purpose of our lives. “Can you think of a time when you (later) recognized God’s presence and actions during an ‘interruption’?” “Into what new adventures of faith is God calling this Cathedral community?”
After a few minutes of what felt like heavy weight-lifting, I asked him how long it would take. “A couple more hours, at least,” he smiled. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to make it for a couple more minutes! Along the way, however, others joined the four of us in pulling the seine. Before long, ten of us, including two little boys and one little girl, were pulling in unison. Shortly afterwards, a teenager who was visiting the village with his father joined us. He had never pulled a seine before, so we instantly formed a “newcomer” bond. We shared our fears of not knowing the correct way to pull a seine, of being “in the way” of those who (obviously) knew what they were doing, and of “just messing up” (especially when even some of the children knew so much about pulling a seine!). There are times in life when most of us feel like we are in “over our head.” Perhaps those times can be golden opportunities to lean on God, trusting God for the guidance and support we need. Perhaps such times can teach us much about our vulnerability and God’s trustworthiness. Perhaps such times can teach us to listen to what God is saying to us – whether it is a challenge to simplify our lives, to seek help from others, or to discern and use our strengths rather than do what we are not gifted to do – and to act with courage on what we hear. “What are your God-given strengths?” “How is God calling you to use those strengths as part of this Cathedral’s call to become ‘fishers of people?’” I learned many other lessons on that day, but I want to close with this one: a crowd had gathered while we were pulling the seine, waiting to get a fish or two, and, although I thought we weren’t going to have enough fish for everyone, I discovered that there was not only enough, but more than enough for everyone. Perhaps this is the greatest lesson of all – when we work together, each person doing his or her part, we will discover that there is not only enough, but more than enough for everyone.