Moonwalk I

Forty years ago, the United States space program put men on the Moon. On July 21st, 1969, the world heard Neil Armstrong… stepping down onto the lunar surface… say:

“That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.”

We haven’t been back to that playing field lately.

I’m reminded of the sermon series we are just finishing up: “Get in the Game – Moving from the Sidelines to the Playing Field.” To land men on the Moon took more than just a few being on the playing field. It took the commitment, the resources, and the support of a whole country. There were tens of thousands of active support and supply personnel, hundreds of Command Center specialists, three astronauts on the mission, two that landed on the Moon, and one that took the first step onto the lunar surface. I vividly remember listening to Neil Armstrong describe exiting the Lunar Lander, climb down the ladder, and go where no man had gone before. It’s been estimated that the global audience at that moment was around 450 million people!

At that moment, it seemed like EVERYBODY was on the playing field.

What happened? We were quite successful in placing people and equipment on the Moon. Six more missions followed that first Moon walk; five of those missions would place astronauts on the Moon. We had astronauts explore craters, plant flags, hit golf balls, perform experiments, delight in the lower gravity of the moon, and even race around in a Lunar Rover. They could place Lunar Modules on the surface with precision, lift back off to achieve escape velocity, and dock with orbiting Command Modules with equal precision.

After a win, everybody leaves the field.

The Apollo program was a big win, but it died early. There were three more missions scheduled, but cost concerns closed Apollo to help fund the Space Shuttle, and unused Apollo equipment went to support the Skylab program. After a while, it’s not so new and exciting anymore… “Been there, done that.” Dreamers and leaders have a way of inspiring and getting things done. When agencies or committees or boards take over, they have a way of counting every cost… and finding it too expensive. After a while, there seems to be no reason to remain on the field.

Churches can get caught up in the same cycle, too. A strong leader has a vision, builds a team, inspires the support of what becomes a thriving congregation, and sees huge success and growth. After a while all the effort just seems mechanical. Committees and managers are put in place to keep things running smoothly, and then, in the midst of all this success, the team walks off the field. “Since we’re winning, there’s no reason for me to be on the field all the time.” That’s the mindset that comes with complacency.

What does it mean to be “on the playing field?”

Well, we’re not NASA. We don’t have a 10-year goal… we have an eternity goal! We don’t have to move by committees and Congressional funding. We move when the presence and the power and the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit is a functional reality in our lives and our fellowship.

As believers, we receive a new nature that draws us naturally off the sidelines, and onto the playing field. This new nature does not make us a new and improved version of the old nature, but a completely new and wholly different nature. As a new creature in Christ, we partake in a union with God. With that knowledge, with that energized spirit, we can don the spiritual armor of God, get on the playing field, and be part of God’s awesome program… for our lives, our families, our communities, and our churches.

I pray that we can be led by the Spirit, alive in the Spirit, and ready to meet God in the Spirit!

Your brother in Christ,

Dave