There
are two kinds of swimming pool.
The
really big Olympic pool is at least two metres deep all over.
The
local baths have two ends – the shallow and the deep. The shallow end is
usually a metre deep – going down to 3 metres or more at the deep end.
The
shallow end looks much the most exciting. Children shout and splash. Those who
are afraid of the water pretend they are enjoying it. Some try a few strokes
and find they can’t swim. People jump in and scramble out. It is boisterous and
full of movement and obvious fun. It does not matter if you can swim or not.
The
deep end is a no-go for non-swimmers. Shallow-enders find it rather frightening
and dangerous. They think the people there look down on them – and they are
right, for deep-enders think the shallow-enders are too noisy and don’t take
swimming seriously enough.
The
deep end is much quieter and less chaotic. Some people do breast stroke, others
show how they can crawl, while the energetic practise their butterfly. Some
plough purposefully up and down doing their 20 lengths for the day. Some climb
on the diving boards and dive more or less gracefully into the water. Others
just float, gently stroking the water with only their face above the waves.
Deep-enders find the shallow-enders are lacking in purpose: for them swimming
is an important and serious enterprise and the shallow-enders get in the way and
shout too much.
And
so it is with worship. It can be either shallow end or deep end.
Shallow
end worship can be noisy and active, full of laughter and joy. It is good for
children and good for beginners. It is also good for experts who need to chill out. From the shallow end worship at the deep end
looks rather uninteresting and unenthusiastic. Recently it has become more
popular and even the Olympic-sized cathedrals have begun to have paddling
pools.
Deep
end worship is quieter, more purposeful. There are many different kinds of deep
end worship. Some is strenuous and needs concentration and effort. Some is floating in the Spirit - quiet and
meditative and peaceful.
But that is only on the
surface – what really, really matters happens beneath the waves. Spiritually
there are some who can swim while others have to have a foot on the bottom.
If
the swimming pool is doing its job there has to come a time when each and every
person who comes commits themselves to the water and ventures out of their
depth. That is what local swimming pools were built for - they are not there
just to give people enjoyment, or to get some exercise. They were built so that
people can learn how to swim - and then learn how to swim more expertly[i].
Some
people really want to learn to swim so they join a class where they can be
taught (Alpha, Saints Alive!). Some parents even send their children to
swimming lessons so that they learn how to swim when they are young (Messy Church/Sunday
School). Others keep trying to swim in the shallow end until they find they can
do it; others seem to just be able to swim without trying.
Some
learn to be good swimmers – they effortlessly cruise up and down doing a
perfect crawl. Others do a sort of doggy paddle where they just keep their head
above water and are soon out of breath.
It
is beneath the surface of worship which is all important. Is this person really
committed to Christ? Are they swimming with God? Many do a doggy paddle which
just about keeps them afloat spiritually - every day and rather unsatisfactory discipleship.
Others want to learn new strokes and spend much time and effort learning
different ways of following Christ through prayer and fellowship and Bible.
The
important thing cannot always be seen – the commitment to God in Christ which
enables us to start swimming in the Spirit. For the very water of the pool is
all of God. All is pleasing to him and we never leave his learning pool.
But the Church began to
love her swimming pools more than the Lord God. We beautified them and took
great delight in them and what we did in them became extremely important to us.
And
one day in March 2020 the Lord took away the swimming pools. He used the
smallest thing in all of creation– a virus: 20 million can dance on the head of
a pin. The pools were all locked up and empty and we have to walk wistfully by.
For
the Lord has said, ‘I told you to minister outside your swimming pools and
share Christ with the world. But you were too fascinated by the pools and they
had become an idol. You have learned how to swim – now minister in the power of
my Spirit.’
[i] Swimming pools go back to Greek and Roman
times and there is a pool at Mohenjo-Daro which was built before 2000BC. By
1837 there were six pools in London (with diving boards). There was widespread
concern at the time about the number of people drowning in rivers and lakes and
towns began to build municipal pools.
***
This
is the latest Lockdown Blog article by one of Darton, Longman and Todd’s
amazing authors, offering a personal reflection on our current situation in
life. These blogs post are written sometimes in reference to one of the
writer’s books, and sometimes about how they are living in response to the
coronavirus and our current world situation. We hope it will give you a taste
of the depth and diversity of DLT’s list – books for heart, mind and soul that
aim to meet the needs and interests of all.
Today’s
post is by John Finney, author of Emerging Evangelism and Recovering
the Past, both of which you can buy here.
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