PENTEC0ST 11 – AUGUST 24th, 2014 – ST. JAMES’
It was in the Fall of the year, about 60 years ago, that I was taking part in my High School boy’s
Phys. Ed class. As it so often was in those days, the class really was a game, in this case a game of
touch or flag football. In the midst of this, I recall planting my right foot to make a sharp turn;
unfortunately, my foot stayed planted and the rest of body from the knee up turned. The result was I
am to ground carrying with pain, our teacher trying to fins ways of easing the pain and my best friend
at the time saying over and over, “I didn’t touch him.”
My doctor told me that I had stretched and maybe even torn some ligaments. Treatment was to
stay off my feet for a few days but continue my regular life.
Fast forward to about 10 years ago. I noticed that with greater frequency my right side, back, lower
and upper legs, hips etc was developing what should be age related aches with a frequency far
greater than on the left side. It was suggested by health care people that maybe I was paying the
price for never learning the proper way to adjust for a less than perfect right knee. As there has been
a crisis this past while, all of this was floating around in my head as I read the reading we just heard
from Paul’s letter to the Romans.
Our reading for this morning is a portion of Paul’s communication to a Gentile congregation in the
heart of Rome. The people to whom Paul writes are some newborn Christians in a fledgling
community. It seems that word had reached Paul that some of these people were getting a little high and mighty in their holiness.
Here, to a lesser degree than in one of his letters to the Corinthians, Paul uses the image of the
"body of Christ" image, emphasizing that the whole population of believers were, in fact, Christ’s
"body" on Earth. To the Roman Christians Paul only speaks about the unique gifts, the unique
functions, of each "member" of our physical bodies — how we experience and engage in this world
as a complex, multipurposed "body."
In the Kingdom of God there is no hierarchy of gifts. As Paul puts it, in the "body" it does not matter
what role one plays liver or pancreas, heart or kidney, toenail or tongue. All are vital. Every "member"
of the body is an equal member. The day to day faithfulness makes whatever we do, day by day,
week by week, month by month, truly significant and important. We are members of Christ’s church.
The church as Jesus expects it to be is one that lives and loves and strives together as a unity.
It is a vision of the church we see in the Gospel reading. Jesus was in the north, about 25 miles
from the Sea of Galilee. He is at a religious site called for a short time then, Caesarea Philippi but
generally known as Banias. There were shrines, each dedicated to a different God. Here, he asked
his disciples who did people say that he was. After a variety of answers, it was Simon who said that
he was the Christ. To this, you will recall that Jesus said he had a new name, Peter or rock and it was
upon him that Jesus would build his church. The church is that group of people that Paul talks about
who live in unity
Each day since I started to drive here on a regular basis again, I see geese, lots of geese. Right
now, they are fuelling up for the trip to their winter quarters but soon they will be flying high. They do
have characteristics that can help in our journey to becoming the church that is truly the body of
Christ.
If you have ever watched the vast flocks of geese flying high overhead, I am sure you have noticed
that they always fly in a Vee formation. There is a good, scientific reason for this. They’ve instinctively
discovered that it is easier. It's actually 70% faster and more efficient. The head goose acts like the
prow of a ship, plowing through the water creating a vee shaped wake behind. The other geese “ride
the wave,” so to speak, and are pulled along somewhat by the vacuum created by this wake in the
air. They probably also contribute to that force themselves.
Frank Sinatra made a lot of money recording, “I Did it My Way” but it is disastrous for the people of
God, the church. As Paul wrote, we are like a body, each person playing a part and appreciating the
part of the other.
So, geese “fly in formation,” otherwise, it would be very difficult for them to journey on their
migration.
The second characteristic is this; the V formation changes regularly but always remains a vee. As you
watch, the head goose in a migrating flock drops back along one of the wings of the vee. Another goose then
takes the point. Geese “share leadership.” In this way no single bird is overburdened, and the migration of the
flock can continue with strong and steady leadership.
It is very clear that no one person can be in leadership in a church without having the help and cooperation
of others. There is a delightful story in Exodus 18 about Jethro, the priest of Midian, who was the father-in-law
of Moses. He watched Moses leading the people, hearing their troubles, settling their disputes, serving as
judge for the issues they faced. Jethro said to Moses, “What you are doing is not good. You and these
people…will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.” Vs.17-18
Jethro helped Moses understand that he needed people to assist him in the leadership role.
Wild Geese “fly in formation” and “share leadership.”
If you have missed the first two characteristic of geese, I am sure that you have missed the third. Migrating
geese can be the noisiest of creatures. No matter how high they might be flying, you can still hear the racket,
the “honking from behind.”
There are several theories about why geese constantly honk when flying. I like the ones that says that
what they are really doing is “honking encouragement” to one another. “O.K! Good job! Let one of us take over
the point! We can do it! We’re almost there! Keep flying!” Through long millennia of experience, geese know
that encouraging one another along the way is important to the life, well being, and survival of the flock.
When is the last time you encouraged another person in your church? Is it time to start?
So, Wild Geese “fly in formation,” “share leadership,” and “honk encouragement.”
Here is something else about geese: they keep company with the fallen.
James Michener wrote about that in his book Chesapeake. He tells about a goose whose mate had been
shot down by hunters. The mate flew down and found her wounded and fluttering in the rushes. A hunting dog
was heard barking and the healthy goose fussed at the wounded gander, pushing it further out into the marsh
for protection. There they found safety for a week until the wound was healed enough for the injured goose to
fly again.
In the scripture today we heard it: If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is
honored, all rejoice together with it. It is our calling to keep company with the fallen!
So, Wild Geese “fly in formation,” “share leadership,” “honk encouragement and keep company with others
who have fallen.”
There is one more thing about geese that I want to mention: they have two types of feathers. The first is
down feathers. Down traps air that becomes insulating warmth. That’s why a bird will fluff its feathers in the
winter—to trap more air. Down feathers provide warmth. It’s a built-in, portable, lightweight down comforter.
The other kind of feathers on geese are called contour feathers. Those are the feathers that provide lift while
flying. So they have two kinds of feathers: soft down feathers for warmth and stiff contour feathers for flying.
There is an analogy with the church. There are those who want to come to church and just enjoy a warm
feeling. They just want the down feathers! I want to come to church to feel good! “There’s a sweet, sweet spirit
in this place, and I know that it’s the spirit of the Lord!” Church is like a soft down comforter that we wrap
around us when we are cold.
But if that’s all church is, then we are not flying high. Church must also have its contour feathers to take it
aloft. Caring and justice ministries are not always warm and cuddly, but they provide us lift.
But too often we give up our dreams, our visions because of conformity and comfort. We stop dreaming,
stop wanting to fly because it means giving up our safe spot.
Geese are prone to do the same thing. Soren Kierkegaard, the Danish philosopher and theologian, tells of a
wild goose, who with splendid motivation, went to live with some tame geese. He was resolved to liberate them
from their domesticated life of mediocrity, where the food was rich and life was easy, although dull and limited
by the farmer’s grim ultimate purpose. Sadly he lived there until he himself was tame.
Every year, when the wild geese would honk in flight overhead, he would flutter his wings and rise a bit and
resolve to join them, but he never did, finally becoming content to be with the tamed and flightless birds.
There is something about the mighty sound of those flocks of geese. Is it the “call of the wild?” Perhaps it's
the voice of God speaking through these beautiful creatures. The ancient Celtic Christians thought so. They
used the Wild Goose to represent the Holy Spirit. It's why I have a Celtic Goose on my stole. “The Wild Geese”
can teach us what it means to be the Church. As followers of the Way, we have joined the great migration to
our true home: “flying in formation,” “sharing leadership,” “honking encouragement,” and “loving one another”
with the love of Christ. Amen.
The original idea of and for this sermon came from a book I read in the ‘80s called “High Flying Geese” by Browne
Barr. The book is no long in my library but resides in someone else’s but some of its thought live on in me.