Getting Caught

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At a recent baptism, we got playful in our conversation about the symbolism of water: we considered all the ways we use water in daily life, and why it is such a powerful symbol. Washing, drinking, and cooking are very important, but soon we remembered how we use water recreationally (How could we forget that, living here?) Specifically, we talked about surfing. Early on in my conversations with folks about surfing, as I was struggling to learn some basics, someone said, "You don't really catch the wave, the wave catches you." What wisdom! What a wonderful thing to consider when reflecting on what our baptism means, and what the life with the Holy Spirit is all about.

A few years ago, I learned the metaphor our Celtic Christian friends use for the Holy Spirit. Instead of a docile dove, they use the image of the Wild Goose! What a very different set of qualities for the Spirit. A Wild Goose is always on the move, and is something we may spend a lifetime chasing (and never quite catch!) That metaphor helped me to think about how God is always active in the world around us: that the Holy Spirit is working ahead of us, and our job is to discover where that work is taking place and try to catch up!

With both metaphors: The Wave and The Wild Goose we are first and foremost not in control. That's an important thing to remember, like in the story of the Valley of Dry Bones when God incessantly calls Ezekiel "Mortal, Mortal, Mortal." (God, the speaker being Immortal.) That orientation comes to us in a variety of ways across a lifetime, and often has to be re-learned. God is God and we are not. The Wild Goose has a mind of its own. The Wave is something to be respected, learned, and worked with (not against.)

After realizing we are not in control, the next common lesson is that there are certain practices that help us participate in "catching" the Wave or the Wild Goose. It's easy enough to get rolled by a wave without much work, but to be caught, and to actually ride a wave requires work and practice. So, the life in the Spirit calls for certain practices to pay attention to where the Holy Spirit is active, and learning how to participate in God's work. I'm thankful that I get to live in such  beautiful place abounding in images and metaphors teaching us about how God is at work in the world. I'm thankful for the traditional metaphors, and fresh new ones which, of course are not God, but point us toward God. I am thankful for the gift of Baptism; in which our old selves are buried, and we are raised to life eternal, raised to a life in the Holy Spirit that catches us and carries us into unimaginable new realities.

Originally published in the South Jetty

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