And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so.
--Genesis 1:9
Dear Friends,
This passage from Genesis has me thinking about one of the church’s favorite hymns:
When the storms of life are raging,
stand by me; (stand by me)
when the storms of life are raging,
stand by me. (stand by me)
When the world is tossing me
like a ship upon the sea,
thou who rulest wind and water,
stand by me. (stand by me)
Do you know this song? It was written in 1905 by Dr. Charles Albert Tindley. Known in his day as the “Prince of Preachers,” Tindley was born in Berlin, Maryland on July 7, 1851. This son of a slave was largely self-taught throughout his lifetime. After he and his wife, Daisy, moved to Philadelphia in 1875, he took correspondence courses toward becoming a Methodist minister. He did this while working as a sexton at the local Methodist Church.
Following ordination, Tindley served several congregations before returning to what later became the Calvary Methodist Episcopal Church in 1902. This time he was appointed not as the custodian, but as its pastor. At that time, the church had about 130 members. Serving the congregation for over 30 years, the church was renamed Tindley Temple Methodist Church after he died. The congregation included African Americans, Europeans, Jews and Hispanics. Some estimate that the congregation had as many as 12,500 members at the time of Tindley’s death.
Located in the “city of brotherly love” Tindley Temple UMC is still fulfilling its mission today.
I wonder how many would imagine the glory that was about to revealed in Tindley’s life? Did he see it during those long nights of study, or those long days of taking out someone else’s trash? Do you suppose that God transformed Tindley through his own discipline and determination? Or was the capacity and gifting always there, just waiting to be revealed in due time?
I suspect that the answer is a matter of both/and—which leads me to reconsider my own levels of patience and persistence in service to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In the Bible’s description of the Creator God, a definitive word is proclaimed: Let dry land appear! The implication of this account is that the path was already there, but invisible; it only wanted (and waited!) to be revealed. I imagine that this is a true picture of most of us; both for ourselves and in our circumstances. But when our collective anxiety is high and the storms of life are raging…how can we find our footing? Where do we find common ground?
It was another pastor from Tindley’s era, a Scottish contemporary by the name of George Matheson who said:
“Much of the Spirit’s creating work is just bringing about the latent qualities. There are many among us we deem to be all sea, and who yet conceal within them the elements of solid land…And what is it that makes the dry land appear? It is not so much the giving of something new as the removal of something old. It is the taking away of an obstruction—‘let the waters be gathered unto one place.’”
Is there anyone or anything in your life that you deem to be “all sea”? A relationship that is filled with chaos and with no place to stand? Or can you identify a similar experience within yourself?
I certainly can (which is why I am so thankful for my church!).
How marvelous to consider, then…that just because we cannot see the land…that does not mean that it is not really there.
Keep the faith, friends. Trust that God will be the one to put the waters in their place. Let us find the grace and strength to keep walking. Rest assured, dry land is coming!
Remove my shadow, O God. Release the imprisoned land that lies within my heart. In this season of self-examination and penitence, give me the power to see what is actually before me! In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, AMEN.
Grace unto you,
Darren
